Dennis Spisak for Ohio Governor

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11/1/10

Ted Strickland's Education Funding Plan Is Not Working

Ted Strickland claims he has fixed Ohio's funding problem regarding public education. Think again.

The BASA analysis of school issues scheduled for the November 2, 2010 General Election reveals a total of 214 issues before voters.  Districts are asking voters to support 122 new money issues, with 95 of those providing new operating money.

Does this sound like a system that is fixed? Ask any school board member of school superintendent in those 214 districts and they will tell you Ted Strickland has not fixed the funding issue of Public Education.

If Ted Strickland is re-elected governor, we will see more and more districts going back to the voters for new money issues.

School districts can no longer afford Ted Strickland as Governor.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

For more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/30/10

Why Not Ohio? Ontario Becoming A Renewable Energy Giant

Ontario signalled its intention of becoming a world leader in renewable energy a year ago when it launched a Feed-in Tariff program.

1029/10

Why Not Ohio? Hawaii Permits Residents to Generate Clean Energy, Feed It to the Grid

HONOLULU, Hawaii, October 14, 2010 (ENS) - The Public Utilities Commission of Hawaii has approved an initial rollout of feed-in tariffs, FIT, a rewards program to facilitate the acquisition and development of renewable energy in Hawaii.

Approved last Wednesday, the FIT program covers renewable energy generators of up to 500 kW in size. The program will allow homes and business to get paid for building renewable energy systems such as rooftop solar and feeding the energy into the electric grid.

Hawaii will be one of the first places in the United States to adopt such a program, versions of which have led to rapid and widespread adoption of renewable energy in Europe.

"We are pleased to launch the FIT program for the Hawaiian Electric Companies," said Commission Chairman Carlito Caliboso. "The predictability and certainty that FITs provide to renewable energy developers should incent future renewable projects and ultimately advance the State's efforts to wean itself off of imported fossil fuel."

The 2009 Hawaii State Legislature enacted this goal into law by establishing a renewable portfolio standard of 40 percent and an energy efficiency standard of 30 percent by 2030.

The Energy Agreement featured the FIT as a way to "dramatically accelerate the addition of renewable energy from new sources."

Why Not Ohio? Why does Ohio continue to support a Democratic Governor who will not push feed in tariffs to the Ohio Legislature?

Why does Ohio continue to support a Governor who continues to push for more and more dirty coal and nuke plants to be built in Ohio.

I support Feed-In Tariffs. Feed-In Tariffs will create green manufacturing jobs and wean our dependance off of coal and nuke power sources.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/28/10

Why Ohio Needs To Turn To Green Jobs

 

 

The green-collar jobs movement  got another major boost: a groundbreaking  report underscores how the growing green economy can provide high quality jobs for those who need them most. The author, Professor Raquel Rivera Pinderhughes of San Francisco State University, is a leading national expert on green-collar jobs.

This report deepens our understanding of how to harness green business growth to build pathways out of poverty. Prof. Pinderhughes' research provides us with critical guidance as we develop the Oakland Green Jobs Corps, the nation's first attempt to carry out the model that Professor Pinderhughes describes in her report.

Some highlights:

Green businesses need workers, offer training, and pay well.  Of the Berkeley green businesses surveyed by Professor Pinderhughes:

  • 86 percent hire workers without previous direct experience or training for green-collar jobs.
  • 94 percent provide on-the-job training for workers in entry level positions.
  • 90 percent pay the full cost of insuring their workers.
  • 73 percent of businesses stated that there was a shortage of qualified green-collar workers for their sector, with the greatest needs in energy, green building, mechanics and bike repair.
  • The average hourly wage for green-collar work in Berkeley is $15.80 plus benefits. This is $4.00 higher an hour than Berkeley's current minimum "living wage," which is the highest in the nation.

To bring jobs back to Ohio, Ohio needs a Green Party Governor committed 100% to Green Energy, and not committed to dirty coal and nuke power like Ted Strickland  is.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

10/27/10

Why Ohio? No More Pollution from Coal Plants Into The Ohio River

Every year 31 million pounds of toxic waste is dumped into the Ohio River, making it the most polluted river in America. Now, there is a proposal coming before the Ohio River Valley Sanitation Commission to allow coal-fired power plants to dump even more pollution into the water. We deserve safe, healthy communities to swim, fish and live.The proposed changes to water quality standards for the Ohio River would permit more mercury and other toxins to be discharged into the river. Already, over 30 million pounds of toxic pollution is dumped in the Ohio River every year - more than any other river in the United States. This pollution includes over 67,000 pounds of developmental and reproductive toxins such as PCBs, lead, mercury, and dioxin.As Governor, I would oppose any further dumping of toxins into the Ohio River. It’s time we elect a Governor who will protect the environment, and not just the big dirty coal companies like Ted Strickland and John Kasich will continue to do.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/ 

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

For more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/26/10

Ohio Must Return to a Progressive Fair Tax System

Low-and middle-income Ohioans pay a much greater share of their income in state and local taxes than the state’s most affluent do, according to a study by Policy Matters Ohio.

The top 1 percent of non-elderly Ohio families by income, who earned at least $352,000 in 2007, on average pay 7.8 percent of their income in state and local taxes. By contrast, the lowest fifth, who make less than $17,000, on average pay 12.0 percent. Families in the middle fifth of the income spectrum, who make between $32,000 and $50,000, on average pay 11.0 percent.

Recent changes in Ohio’s state and local tax system have increased the disparity. The report found that Ohio ranks 28th among states in the fairness of its tax system, based on the share of their income affluent Ohioans are paying in state and local taxes compared to that of lower- and middle-income Ohioans. Last time the study was done, which covered the law as of 2002, Ohio ranked 14th by this measure.

The national report, Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States, was produced by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and released in Ohio by Policy Matters Ohio and The Center for Community Solutions. It reviews every state’s tax system based on permanent changes in law enacted through October 2009 and income levels from 2007 (the most recent year that necessary data is available across states).

“No one would ever design an income tax with lower tax rates for the best-off taxpayers,” noted Matthew Gardner, ITEP’s executive director and lead author of the study. “But that is exactly what Ohio’s tax system overall does: It allows the very wealthiest individuals to contribute less of their income, on average, than middle- and lower-income families must pay. In other words, Ohio has an unfair, regressive tax system.”
Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

10/25/10

Let's Stop Rising Health Care Premiums With Single-Payer Health Care

The Dayton Daily News reported last week that area workers can expect to pay more for health insurance next year, but controversial new health care laws won’t be a big part of the projected cost increases, experts say.

Doug Anderson, chief policy officer at the Ohio Department of Insurance, said the total cost of health plans for families and individuals in Ohio could increase 8 to 18 percent next year, depending on benefits.

Ohioans can no longer afford rising insurance premiums. That's why I call for the passage of the Health Care for All Ohioans Act.

By going to single payer in Ohio, we can create an Ohio Health Care Fund that will see no premiums, no co-payments, no deductibles,a nd no one denied coverage.

An Ohio Health Care Fund that will save an estimated $11.6 billion in administartive costs and billions of additional dollars in savings as a result of making preventive care more accessible.

As Governor, I will push for the Health Care for All Ohioans Act to help end high health care premiums.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/21/10

Renewable Energy Can Bring Jobs To Ohio

Renewable energy can provide, on average, four to six times the number of jobs as equivalent investments in fossil fuels manufacturing, installations, operations, and maintenance are all accounted for, according the the Blue-green Alliance Report.

The Current U.S. demand for renewable energy technologies exceeds domestic manufacturing capability, and we are dependant on European and Chinese manufacturers to meet these demands.

So forget about tax breaks and slashing income taxes to bring companies to Ohio. The most direct way to put Ohioans back to work is a 100 percent commitment to renewable energy.

We can have a Governor who still cheers for dirty coal and nuke power like Ted Strickland to champion this cause.

We need a truely Green Governor to lead the charge for renewable energy in this state as well as jobs.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/20/10

Why Ohio Still Needs A Single-Payer Health System

The Census Bureau released its annual report on income, poverty and health insurance coverage in the United States earlier this month, and it's no surprise to learn that we're in bad shape. The number of people living in poverty was 43.6 million (14.3 percent), up sharply from 2008, and real per capita income declined 1 percent.

Looking at health insurance, the situation is truly dire. There was a dramatic spike in the uninsured - 4.3 million more, to a record 50.7 million - in spite of the expansion of government health insurance rolls by nearly 6 million.

In my home, we were just informed that Medical Mutual will no longer insure our son, because he has autism.

 Yet the consequence of being uninsured can be lethal: Research published last year shows about 45,000 deaths annually can be linked to lack of coverage. That number is probably more than 50,000 today.

As Don McCanne, senior health policy fellow at Physicians for a National Health Program, has observed,  employers, seeing little relief, will expand the present trend of shifting more insurance and health care costs onto employees.

A single-payer plan would  furnish us with effective cost-control tools, like the ability to negotiate fees and purchase medications in bulk. It would permit patients to go to the doctor and hospital of their choice.

 

We need an insurance system that pools the risk evenly and spreads out the costs of the sickest 20 percent of us. Other rich nations have versions of a single-payer system to finance health service payments. It is time we adopt a single-payer national health program in the United States. Such a system would provide affordable access to medical services for everyone. No one would have to worry about pre-existing conditions, deductibles, provider networks, medical debt, losing insurance with a job loss or a doctor rejecting them as a patient because they are on Medicaid. Instead, the sick would simply choose their doctor and hospital.

That's why I support the Health Care for all Ohioans Act. We need single-payer health care in the Buckeye State. We need to insure all Ohioans now!

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/19/10

Why Not Ohio? Feed-In Tariffs Can Boost Local Communities

Reg Platt, a researcher with the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), says renewable energy could not only help people reduce their emissions but also provide a much needed cash boost to local communities.

Feed-In Tariffs  means ‘households and organisations can get paid for generating electricity’ via renewable technology, such as wind turbines and solar panels.

Platt argues ‘solar panels on bars, village halls , community centers  churches and other religious buildings , schools and swimming pools could generate millions of dollars through the Feed-In Tariff. In addition the buildings will be able to use the electricity for free and sell anything they don’t use back to the grid.

Up until now, renewable technology has been seen as too expensive for homeowners and organisations, some having to wait 20 years to reap the rewards via reduced electricity bills. However, with the Feed-In Tariff it appears ‘renewables have suddenly become an attractive financial proposition’.

We need an Ohio governor who supports Feed-In Tariffs. Ted Strickland does not. To really jump-start solar and wind power in Ohio, I support a feed-in tariff. Why won't Ted Strickland entertain this idea and sell it to the house and senate? Is it because Ted Strickland is in the back pockets of coal-fired energy producing PACS? Say it ain't so, Ted....

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/18/10

Education Funding Under Ted Strickland: More Cuts To Come

Last week's newspaper articles showed what public education will look like under a second Strickland Administration: prepare for more budget cuts.

Miami University said its budget plan will take a hit. The Strickland Administration plans to delay a payment of $4.25 million for the Oxford campus and $926,000 for the regional campuses this fiscal year.

A total $127.5 million of state funding for schools will be delayed from June to July, meaning schools get one less payment during the 2011 fiscal year.

David Creamer, Miami’s vice president of finance, issued a letter Oct. 1 on the funding changes.

“As we have with all of the employee actions up to this point, we will take appropriate steps to minimize the number of employees whose positions may be eliminated, and we will give as much notice as possible and provide transition services when such notifications are necessary,” the letter said.

Meanwhile, With an earned income tax levy looming this fall, Graham Local School Board members reviewed possible cuts that could be made if the levy fails, including eliminating as many as 32 jobs within the district.

On Monday, school board members discussed potential cuts during a special meeting at Graham Middle School. The district is asking voters to approve a 1.25 percent earned income tax levy that will be on the ballot in November, and would generate about $2.2 million for the district.

The district’s general fund budget is expected to be in the red if the levy fails. Board members reviewed a recommendation from Norm Glismann, superintendent for the district, that would slash about $1.6 million from the budget if the levy fails by eliminating as many as 26 certified positions and six non-certified positions throughout the district.

This is what the future of education will look like if Ted Strickland is given another 4 years. 4 more years of budget cuts at all levels.

We need a Green Party Governor who is committed to stop budget cuts to education and make the necessary increases in tax revenues needed to funding education properly in Ohio.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/17/10

Why Ohio? Why Do So Many In Ohio Receive Food Assistance?

Every week last year, 225,700 Ohioans received emergency food assistance from a pantry, soup kitchen or similar service.

A report released today by the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks illustrates the recession's devastating impact on the state.

In all, more than 1.4 million Ohioans received emergency food assistance at least once, and often more frequently, in 2009.

That's a jump of 18 percent from three years ago, the report found.

40 percent of those surveyed in Ohio say they must choose between food and medicine or other health care needs. Thirty-one percent have at least one household member in poor health."

Among the other findings:

* More than a third of those receiving assistance are children.

* 32 percent of households include at least one employed adult.

* Half of those surveyed say they have had to choose between buying food and paying for utilities.

The report is heartbreaking. Yet it underscores the fact that Ted Strickland's campaign to bring jobs back to Ohio is not working. We need to turn Ohio forward in the way we market the state and go after new blue-green jobs.

Ted Strickland's plan to cut more state funding for social programs underscores the need for more increased state revenues instead of Ted's current campaign of axing more social programs. The poor can no longer afford to have Ted Strickland in office another four years.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

10/16/10

Why Ohio Needs To Turn To Green Jobs

 

 

The green-collar jobs movement  got another major boost: a groundbreaking  report underscores how the growing green economy can provide high quality jobs for those who need them most. The author, Professor Raquel Rivera Pinderhughes of San Francisco State University, is a leading national expert on green-collar jobs.

This report deepens our understanding of how to harness green business growth to build pathways out of poverty. Prof. Pinderhughes' research provides us with critical guidance as we develop the Oakland Green Jobs Corps, the nation's first attempt to carry out the model that Professor Pinderhughes describes in her report.

Some highlights:

Green businesses need workers, offer training, and pay well.  Of the Berkeley green businesses surveyed by Professor Pinderhughes:

  • 86 percent hire workers without previous direct experience or training for green-collar jobs.
  • 94 percent provide on-the-job training for workers in entry level positions.
  • 90 percent pay the full cost of insuring their workers.
  • 73 percent of businesses stated that there was a shortage of qualified green-collar workers for their sector, with the greatest needs in energy, green building, mechanics and bike repair.
  • The average hourly wage for green-collar work in Berkeley is $15.80 plus benefits. This is $4.00 higher an hour than Berkeley's current minimum "living wage," which is the highest in the nation.

To bring jobs back to Ohio, Ohio needs a Green Party Governor committed 100% to Green Energy, and not committed to dirty coal and nuke power like Ted Strickland  is.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

10/14/10

Will Ted Strickland Finally Stop Murray Energy From Polluting Ohio?

It happened again. Murray Energy's coal pipeline carrying toxic coal slurry through southeast Ohio burst open last Friday, flooding a pristine creek and surrounding areas with thick, black sludge.

This is at least the seventh time since 1999 that coal slurry has poured into the creek, killing fish and putting the future of the already endangered eastern hellbender salamander at risk.

Even after seven spills, Murray Energy is applying for permission to build another sludge impoundment that would bury a whole stream and put entire communities at risk of contaminated water and a catastrophic breach.

Murray "Slurry" Energy has proven that coal slurry is toxic and that they can't be trusted to handle it. Just look at the tragically polluted gully that once was Captina Creek.

Will Ted Strickland finally oppose Murray Energy from building another sludge impoundment? Or will Dirty Coal Ted Strickland continue tom support such practices to take place in Ohio.

As the Green Party candidate for Governor, I oppose Murray Energy from building anymore sludge impoundments in the Buckeye State.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www,dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/13/10

Why Not Ohio? Feed-In Tariffs Would Bring Green Energy Jobs To The State

Paul Gipe wrote last week on how feed-in tariffs would boost renewable energy in the states as well as bring new green jobs:

Something is up when both liberal and conservative think tanks find something to like in the same obscure energy policy with an odd name: feed-in tariffs.

Politicians take notice when the conservative Hoover Institution joins the liberal Center for American Progress in saying that it's time for the United States to consider a policy that pays farmers, homeowners and businesses for the electricity produced by their wind turbines and solar panels.

It's not surprising that Americans from right to left find feed-in tariffs appealing. After all, it's an American idea born three decades ago when the United States last faced an energy crisis. What's more American than unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit to provide a needed product such as electricity?

A feed-in tariff is a premium paid by a utility for power generated by solar or wind power to encourage the development of renewable energy sources.

Unfortunately, the principle languished here when oil prices collapsed in the early 1980s. In the meantime, other nations picked it up, refined it and now are using it to drive industrial development and create new jobs.

"Feed-in tariffs are the most widely used renewable energy policy in the world," says a massive report by a team of researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden. According to its study, feed-in tariffs are responsible for 75 percent of all solar photovoltaic and 45 percent of all wind development worldwide.

Germany has become a renewable energy powerhouse through feed-in tariffs, creating 300,000 new jobs since the program was launched a decade ago. In the first three months of 2010 alone, German homeowners, farmers and small businesses installed 30,000 new solar photovoltaic systems. By July 2010, German homeowners alone installed more solar systems than all the projected 2010 solar photovoltaic installations in the United States. German farmers will have installed even more. In the first six months of this year, Germany installed twice the total solar photovoltaic systems installed in the United States during the last 20 years.

Ohio needs a Governor to push feed-in tariffs through the statehouse.

We need a Green Governor to help truely start the ball rolling on converting solar and wind power to good use here in the Buckeye state. We need a Green Governor who will use this new green energy to bring jobs back to Ohio.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/12/10

Democrats Try To Galvanize Greens Before Election, Forget Them After Election

Obama tries to galvanize greens
  Sep 29, 2010 Politico  

Darren Samuelsohn

Faced with the prospect of sagging turnout this November, President Barack Obama is waging a green charm offensive designed to amp up support for Democratic congressional candidates.

During an interview with Rolling Stone magazine published Tuesday, Obama couldn’t have been more explicit about the connection between environmental issues and the midterm elections.

The president pledged to put his full weight behind a 2011 push for legislation that would wean the country off fossil fuels. Obama has taken heat from environmental groups for being unable to pass such legislation during his first two years in office.

Obama also challenged liberals who are threatening to sit out the vote, saying he’ll need a big turnout five weeks from now if his policies are going to have any chance at success, including energy and climate.

“The idea that we’ve got a lack of enthusiasm in the Democratic base, that people are sitting on their hands complaining, is just irresponsible,” Obama told the magazine.

“Everybody out there has to be thinking about what’s at stake in this election, and if they want to move forward over the next two years or six years or 10 years on key issues like climate change, key issues like how we restore a sense of equity and optimism to middle-class families who have seen their incomes decline by 5 percent over the last decade,” he added.

Obama’s pitch to tackle energy and climate next year — “in chunks, as opposed to some sort of comprehensive omnibus legislation,” he said — marked the first time the president has weighed in on the issue since this summer’s Senate stalemate.

Election observers say there’s an obvious link between the president’s latest round of green policies and the get-out-the-vote campaign that starts and ends at the White House.

“He has no choice,” said Jennifer Duffy, a senior editor at the Cook Political Report. “I think Democrats can’t win without these voters, so they’ve got to make a play for it.”

Once again we see the President and Ted Strickland trying to galvanize the Green Vote before an election, only to forget about the Green Vote after the election.

Remember that Ted Strickland supports more dirty coal plants be built in Ohio. Ted Strickland supports more nuke plants to be built in Ohio. Ted Strickland continues to allow manure runoff from factory farms to pollute Ohio lakes and streams. Remember, under Ted Strickland, Ohio only gets 1 percent of it's energy from clean energy technology, the national average is 9 percent.

The Democrats will say anything to get your vote on November 2nd. The problem is they forget to do anything for you once they get your vote on November 2nd.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

Why Not Ohio? Ontario's Feed In Tariff Program Is Working

The Hamilton, Ontario Star newspaper recently reported that Ontario’s feed-in-tariff program is one year old on Oct. 1 and most would call it a success, judged strictly by the number of green-power projects it has attracted.

 Since the launch of the “FIT” program a whopping 23,000 applications have been submitted to the Ontario Power Authority. Of those, 86 per cent are for small rooftop solar systems being put up by homeowners, schools, churches and farmers across the province.

In the area of solar alone, about 10 manufacturers – both domestic and foreign – that have committed to setting up solar module assembly plants in Ontario to meet local content requirements. A number of solar inverter companies have announced similar plans. Taken together, this represents at least a couple of thousand jobs.

The same is happening with wind, which makes up about two-thirds of total megawatts approved so far. Developers are putting local metalwork shops to work, hiring local electricians, engineers and others across the province.

“The whole purpose of the program is to build expertise and industrial capacity,” says Gord Miller, Ontario’s environmental commissioner. “It’s on the right track.”

Why Not Ohio? As Governor, I would propose to the members of the state house that a Feed-In Tariff program be started here in Ohio. This is the type of program that can put people back to work.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/10/10

Help Protect Special Education-Vote Green!

It's time we have a Governor in Ohio protect special education funding in the state.

It's time we determine the additional costs necessary to provide educational services to students with special needs, such as students who are socially and economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities and students who require vocational or gifted educational services.

The cost of providing educational services to students with special needs should be indexed to the cost of providing a high quality educational program for regular students, so that each component increases proportionately and in parity. State funding for providing services to students with disabilities should be 100%.

As a father with two sons with autism, these students need funding as adequate as funding regular students.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/9/10

Protect Public Education Funding-Vote Green!

I believe the support of public education as the number one priority of the state.

We must replace lost revenues with state funds in the event of legislation that results in local revenues lost, such as a reduction of the tac base, exemptions from taxation, or other tac structure changes.

I believe we must prohibit Congress, The Ohio general Assembly, and/or federal or state administrative agencies from enacting and/or promulgating statutes and rules that result in unfunded and underfunded mandates. Fiscal impact statements should accompany all school-related statues and rules.

I believe we should provide an adequate funding mechanism for educational service centers that provides for inflationary growth. State funding for facilities should be a part of the educational service centers' funding formula.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/7/10

Improving Ohio's Tax Policies To Aid Public Education

Ohio's tax system must be stable, competitive, and reflective of the current economy. All sectors of the economy should pay a fair share of the cost of public school education and state government.

I support state reinbursement that fully matches dollar for dollar the loss of any local tanigble personal property tax base to school districts.

I believe the state should earmark a percentage of state revenues for the elementary snd secondary schools and provide an increase in state revenues either through the enactment of an increase in the state sales tax and or state personal income tax. The increase should be earmarked for education and be depositedinto a state public primary and secondary trust fund.

I also support legistlation that would eliminate the overreliance on local property taxes.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/6/10
 

How Many More Job Losses For Northwest Ohio Under Ted Strickland?

The Toledo Blade recently reported:

Since Jan. 1, 2009, four northwest Ohio factories have closed, shipping their work to Indiana and costing the state 319 jobs.

In the same period, a Blade investigation found, at least 11 other manufacturers employing about 1,900 people in the region have closed and shipped work to North Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, and elsewhere within the United States.

Massive job losses caused by factory closures are nothing new in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Going back to 2000,

The Blade found about 140 factories with 20 or more employees that closed in northwest Ohio, totaling about 18,000 lost jobs. More than two dozen factory closings - costing about 3,500 jobs - were counted in Lenawee, Hillsdale, and Monroe counties in southeast Michigan.


County by county, town by town, there  are thousands of stories of homes and health insurance lost, slashed salaries for those lucky enough to find new jobs, and years of emotional distress for those who were handed permanent pink slips.

This is Ted Strickland's Ohio. Because of inaction by our sitting Governor, more and more Ohioans lose their jobs on a yearly basis, with no hope for new manufacturing jobs coming into Ohio to replace them.

A do-nothing Governor who just tells people to "hang on". Hang on to no job, no income, no health insurance, and eventually no unemployment benefits when they run out.

This is why Ohio needs a new approach to government. A new commitment to the working man. A new commitment to keeping and attracting new manufacturing jobs to Ohio.  A new way of doing things.

It's time to vote Green. It's time to support new leadership for Ohio.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/5/10

Addressing Issues in State Funding of Public Education

When it comes to state funding of public education, the following issues must be addressed:

Phantom Revenue/Chargeoff: All forms of phantom revenue must be eliminated. The local share must be based ona ctual local revenues available.

Pooling: We must reject the pooling of local tax revenues and/or the diverting of locally approved revenues to other entities.

Inflationary Growth: Schools districts must realize real funding growth adequate to address revenue needs without requiring voter approval of new tax levies.

Public/Non public school funding: Ohio's public schools should receive the same per pupil amount as the chartered nonpublic schools in Ohio receive.

I support these issues to fix Ohio's public schools funding issues.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/4/10

No More Tax Abatements to Hurt Public Schools

I believe that local boards of education be involved in all discussions and decisions regarding tax abatements. Local Boards should have the authority to enter into negotiations to receive compensation for lost revenues with entities granting abatements and with businesses receiving abatements. Boards should also have veto power, if in their judgement, the abatements adversely impact their district, receive state mandated compensation based on all payroll generated from the abatement, and have standing to institute legal action if a firm has not complied with the terms of the tax abatement.


Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

 

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

 

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/3/10

What State Funding Of Public Education Should Look Like

In terms of  the state funding public education, I believe: · Each student has a fundamental right to a high quality public education. · Phantom revenue must be eliminated. · School funding is a state responsibility. · Educational opportunities must extend from Pre-K through grade 12. · Enforceability of the right of students high quality educational opportunities must be included in the package. · The over-reliance on property tax must be reduced. Property tax relief must be achieved. · The quality of education must not be a function of school district property valuation or district income.

I believe we need to establish a process for determining the components and costs of a high quality education and provides that the state shall pay 100% of the cost for an adequate education for every child and 100% of the cost of the categoricals that enable every school district to provide such an education to every student.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

10/2/10

How to Fix Ohio's Budget Mess

There's only one fair way to fix Ohio's budget mess, although Ted Strickland and John Kasich are both not man enough to do or say it: Raise Revenues.

I would restructure the 2005 tax changes that lowered income taxes for wealthy taxpayers. The Office of Budget and Management says reversing just one year of the income tax cuts would bring in $422 million dollars. To help low-income households, raise the amount households can make before owing an income tax. Implement an Ohio Earned Income Tax Credit system like the Federal EITC. Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia have this credit in place, which would bring low-income families out of poverty.
Raise the Commercial Activity Tax: revenues would allow for paying schedule reimbursements as well as add money to the General Revenue Fund. This could raise at least $50 million for the state.
Retain some of the income tax portion of the corporate franchise tax. Retaining at least 1/5 of it's former rate would give the state at least $200 million per year.

 

Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidtae for Ohio Governor

 

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, call 330-503-1407

10/1/10

Thank Ted Strickland: Ohio Has 3 Of The Dirtiest Coal Plants in Nation For Mercury Pollution

In a story from the Columbus Dispatch:

Three Ohio power plants are among the top 50 "dirtiest" in the U.S. for the mercury they emit from their smokestacks, according to a report released today.

American Electric Power's Gavin plant along the Ohio River in Gallia County more than doubled its output, emitting 937 pounds of mercury in 2008 compared to 435 pounds it released in 2007.

That was enough to rank Gavin 12 on the Environmental Integrity Project's list.

The Washington D.C.-based advocacy group used pollution data on 467 coal fired power plants that utilities report each year to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's toxic release inventory to compile its rankings. AEP's Conesville plant in Coshocton County, pictured above, was No. 14 on the list with 898 pounds of mercury emitted.

FirstEnergy's Sammis plant, along the Ohio River in Jefferson County ranked No. 44 with 498 pounds of mercury in 2008. Mercury is linked to nerve and kidney damage in children and is linked to brain damage and mental retardation in fetuses.

The U.S. EPA considers coal fired power plants "the largest human-caused source of mercury emissions to the air in the United States."

It's one of the most common pollutants found in Ohio's lakes, streams and fish. That's prompted a statewide Ohio EPA advisory that residents should eat no more than one meal of locally caught fish per week.

And Ted Strickland is a "Green" Governor? Thanks to Ted Strickland being in bed with the dirty coal lobbyists Ohio continues to pollute the air and streams of this great state with mercury. And it will only get worse with Ted Strickland as Governor, Ted propses to keep 75% of Ohio's power sources to remain coal fired plants. It's time we elect a Green Party Governor to Ohio to help clean our state's natural resources.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor

9/29/10

Ted Strickland, Nuclear subsidies put taxpayers at risk

       

An article earlier this year in the Boston Globe reports:

============================================== 

President Obama's plan to kick-start the construction of nuclear power plants in the United States comes with a big catch: Because private banks won't lend to an industry viewed as financially risky, taxpayers would be accountable for billions in government-guaranteed loans if plant developers default.

``There is a huge potential risk for taxpayers,'' said Autumn Hanna, who analyzes federal loan guarantees at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonparti san group. She said the risk could be in the tens of billions of dollars and said the public shouldn't be asked to assume responsibility banks are unwilling to take.

Banks have been reluctant to lend money for new nuclear projects due to a combination of concerns about cost overruns, past defaults, and the uncertain regulatory climate and political hostility that have shadowed the industry since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979.

But there are significant uncertainties. The Washington Public Power Supply System, which sought to build nuclear reactors financed with municipal bonds, defaulted on those bonds in 1983 in a case that still hangs over the financing of such projects. In addition, the problem of where to put spent fuel, which remains highly radioactive, has not been resolved.

The Nuclear Energy Institute estimates that there are 28 proposed nuclear projects around the country that might seek the guaranteed loans. None of the proposals is for New England, where opposition to nuclear power has been stronger than in other regions such as the South. Among companies that are interested in new nuclear power plants are Entergy Corp. (NYSE:ETR) , Exelon Corp. (NYSE:EXC) , and Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE:DUK PRA) (NYSE:DUK)

=================================================

Duke Energy has been very active contributing to Ted Strickland's re-election campaign for the last year. Ted Strickland wants to put more nuke plants in Ohio based on his energy plan for the future. It seems Strickland will do this despite what it may end up costing Ohio taxpayers.

As the Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor, I will see to it that no new nuke plants will go on-line here in the state of Ohio in the future.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

Ask vote a Green Party Ballot and vote in the Green Party primary on May 4th!

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info contact 330-503-1407

9/28/10

What is Ted Strickland Doing To Help Ohio Families?

The latest TV ads for Ted Strickland describe what Ted is doing to help business in Ohio. But what is Ted doing to help families in Ohio?

According to data from the latest Census Report, the percent of Ohioans without health insurance coverage increased and the median household income decreased significantly, the data show. More than 1.6 million Ohioans were without health care coverage last year, while the median household income dropped by 7 percent.

And last week, the Dayton Daily News reported the number of properties hit by a foreclosure filing of some kind in August jumped by more than 30 percent in Greene, Miami and Montgomery counties, according to a company that tracks real estate data.

In addition to the number of properties targeted by foreclosure filings — a category that includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — the number of homes taken back by the bank also increased in Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Warren counties during the month, according to RealtyTrac Inc.

Statewide, properties that received a foreclosure filing of some kind in August reached 13,479 versus 11,368 properties during the same month last year, an 18.6 percent jump, according to RealtyTrac.

At the same time, foreclosed homes repurchased by lenders grew 20 percent last month to 3,664.

What is Ted Strickland doing to help families? Especially those hit hard by poverty and foreclosures? Well, one thing he is doing for them is telling state agencies that help them to brace for 10 percent cutbacks in next year's budget?

Is this what we call leadership? I think not. We need an Ohio Governor who will take care of those families in poverty and facing foreclosures. We need a governor committed to helping those less fortunate, before he helps a Fortune 500 company.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http;//www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

9/26/10
 

My Vision For A New, Better, Ohio

With unemployment so high, it's time for a Green New Deal to tackle economic and ecological problems at the same time.

We should put Americans back to work with living-wage green jobs: retrofitting homes for energy efficiency, building modern mass transit systems, installing renewable energy technology, and conserving our irreplaceable ecosystems.

As the father of two sons with autism, and since my wife teaches pre-school multihandicapped children, I am well aware of the financial problems facing social services. Funding of social services would be for me a priority in funding, right up their with public education. Neither of these programs can stand anymore budget cutting. By returning Ohio to the Pre-Bob taft tax cuts, we could raise enough revenue to fund both social services and public education at the proper levels.


What would it mean to elect a Green Party Governor for Ohio? It would mean having a Governor who would work towards every Ohioan having a guaranteed job at a living wage; a single-payer, universal health insurance plan; restoration of workers' rights; an end to corporate abuse of trade; an end to corporate welfare and corporate domination of elections; universal access to quality public education; protection of the environment; "NO" to privatization; and other means designed to provide Ohioans with job security and a decent standard of living.

No longer will we have a government controlled by corporate lobbyists and PACS. It time to move Ohio forward!

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

9/25/10
 

Why Not Ohio? A State-Owned Bank Like The Bank of North Dakota

The AP ran a story earlier this year on the State Bank of North Dakota....

======================================================

(AP) The Bank of North Dakota - the nation's only state-owned bank - might seem to be a relic.

But now officials in other states are wondering if it is helping North Dakota sail through the national recession.

The Bank of North Dakota serves as an economic development agency and "banker's bank" that lessens the loan risks of private banks and helps them finance larger projects. It offers cheap loans to farmers, students and businesses.

The bank had almost $4 billion in assets and a $2.67 billion loan portfolio at the end of last year, according to its most recent quarterly financial report. It made $58.1 million in profits in 2009, setting a record for the sixth straight year. During the last decade, the bank funneled almost $300 million in profits to North Dakota's treasury.

The bank has the advantage of being the repository for most state funds, which can be used for loans and occasional relief for private banks that need a jolt of cash during sluggish credit markets.

The state earns roughly 0.25 percent less interest than state agencies would get from a commercial institution. The bank also pays no state or federal taxes and has no deposit insurance; North Dakota taxpayers are on the hook for any losses.

=====================================================

Why not a state bank for Ohio? With a state bank like North Dakota's we could fund new businesses and restore our crumbling infrastructure.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

9/24/10
 

We Need A Rebuild Ohio Plan

The problem with the U.S. economy today, as it was during the Great Depression, is the absence of sufficient demand for goods and services. Consumers, struggling with sky-high unemployment and staggering debt loads, are tapped out. The economy cannot be made healthy again, and there is no chance of doing anything substantial about budget deficits, as long as so many millions of people are left with essentially no purchasing power. Jobs are the only real answer.

During the Depression, Franklin Roosevelt explained to the public the difference between wasteful spending and sound government investments. “You cannot borrow your way out of debt,” he said, “but you can invest your way into a sounder future.”

We need to build things again. We need a jobs works program to put Ohioans back to work.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

How to Create Green Energy Jobs for Ohio

From the Apollo Alliance:

 ===================================================

Amid growing concerns about the U.S. losing clean energy manufacturing jobs to other countries, a new report released this week by Policy Matters Ohio, the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) and the Apollo Alliance documents how one clean energy investment proposal, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT) Act, would help create and retain clean energy manufacturing jobs in Ohio.

The Impact of IMPACT: Creating Jobs in Ohio finds that the IMPACT Act, which is contained in the proposed Senate clean energy and climate bill, would create between 41,063 and 52,214 new jobs across Ohio.

The IMPACT Act would establish a two-year $30 billion revolving loan fund to assist small- and medium-sized manufacturers retool to produce clean energy component parts and become more energy efficient. It would also increase long-term funding for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program to help manufacturers access clean energy markets and adopt innovative, energy-efficient manufacturing technologies. Provisions that are nearly identical to those in IMPACT were included in the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2009.

“PERI’s analysis finds that investing in the retooling and conversion of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms in Ohio would create a robust engine of job growth for the state,” said Heidi Garrett-Peltier, the economist who conducted the analysis. “We find that the investments from IMPACT would not only retain current jobs, but they would also create new jobs that utilize the skills of the workers of Ohio. These investments are a potentially powerful way to revitalize the manufacturing sector in the state.”

The findings of the report are relevant to other manufacturing states and to anyone who wants to ensure that comprehensive federal clean energy and climate measures create the economic benefits that American workers are expecting. To read the report, visit the Policy Matters Ohio website.

====================================================

I will work to see that Green Jobs are the number one priority in my administration, not coal and nuke plants like Ted Strickland supports!

Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

 

for mroe info: contact 330-503-1407

9/21/10

Ted Strickland's Coal Plants Poison Ohioans

Among all industrial sources of air pollution, none poses greater risks to human health and the environment than coal-fired power plants. Emissions from coalfired power plants contribute to global warming, ozone smog, acid rain, regional haze, and–perhaps most consequential of all from a public health standpoint – fine particle pollution. In 2000 and again in 2004, the Clean Air Task Force commissioned comprehensive studies of health impacts caused by fine particle air pollution from the nation's roughly 500 coal-fired power plants. Each study incorporated the latest scientific findings concerning the link between air pollution and public health, as well as up-to-date emissions information. Both found that emissions from the U.S. power sector cause tens of thousands of premature deaths each year and hundreds of thousands of heart attacks, asthma attacks, emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and lost workdays.

Ohio is ranked SECOND in the Nation in terms of the number of Ohioans who face premature deaths, emergency rooms visits, and heart attackes due to dirty coal plants.

Ted Strickland never met a dirty coal plant he didn't like. He supported the building of a new coal plant in meigs County. He supports building a dirty coal to fossil fuel plant in Columbiana County. Ted Strickland is supported by dirty coal plant energy companies such as AMP, Duke Energy,First Energy, and others.

It's time to stop Ted Strickland from hurting more Ohioans. It's time we elect a truely Green Governor who will put the health and environment first over PACS and corporations who posion Ohio citizens.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

9/20/10

Ohio Needs 21 Century Clean Green Energy, Not Dirty Coal

Ohio Needs 21 Century Clean Green Energy, Not Dirty Coal

As Green Party Candidate for Governor, I am calling on Ted Strickland to stop his support of coal burning as a continued major source of power for Ohio's future. Ohio must switch to clean energy instead of dirty coal or clean coal technology as soon as possible.

Burning coal-to-liquid fuel is arguably the dirtiest, most expensive energy gamble we could take. The truth is that liquid coal is plagued with economic and environmental downsides from the time the coal is mined until long after the liquid is removed from the coal.

Nearly twice the global warming emissions are emitted by liquid coal than by gasoline and huge inputs of energy are required to make coal into a synthetic fuel.Replacing just 10 percent of the nation's transportation fuels with liquid coal would require a 40 percent increase in coal mining, which would jeopardize long-term prospects for coal including its use as a major electricity source.

I believe in building an energy corridor based upon renewable energy companies and manufacturers who will build and produce green jobs such as solar and wind component plants. Blue-collar jobs - to put our people back to work.

The new Apollo program (put together by the Apollo Alliance, a group of business, labor, environmental and community groups) which calls for a $500 billion over 10 years with the potential to create more than 5 million green energy jobs.

It will accelerate the development of the nation's vast clean energy resources and move us toward energy security, climate stability and economic prosperity. And it will transform Ohio into the global leader of the new green economy.

 

Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

for more info: contact 330-503-1407

9/19/10
Just Say No to Ted Strickland and His Nuclear Plants!

Ted Strickland want to build more Nuclear plants for Ohio. What does that mean? If the costly new nuclear plants aren't finished, then taxpayers cover the huge financial loss.

If they are built, then we're stuck with power plants that generate overpriced electricity and create deadly radioactive waste that will remain toxic for thousands of years.

Either way, the nuclear industry wins, and we lose.


Nuclear power creates deadly radioactive waste, from the mining process onwards.   It's got a scary history: think Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.

Just recently, a nuclear plant in Vermont was ordered shut down after radioactive tritium, which is linked to cancer, leaked from the plant into local water supplies.

Nuclear power is so financially risky that even Wall Street won't bet on it.  It's a public health and financial disaster waiting to happen.

Instead, our government should promote energy efficiency and a decentralized power system based on safe, clean, renewable energy.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor!

 

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

9/18/10
 

Why Not Ohio? Because Ted Strickland Has Dropped The Ball When It Comes To Solar Power

The first two paragraph's of  a Sunday's Toledo Blade Investigative reports on Ohio's lack of success in luring solar power to the Buckeye state says it all:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toledo and its northwest Ohio neighbors have missed out on coveted manufacturing jobs in the solar industry because of a failure by state officials to attract companies with tax incentives or create a viable market for solar panels in Ohio, a Blade investigation shows.

Since 2007, thousands of those jobs have gone to states where companies were enticed by a mixture of tax credits, grants, and additional incentives to make solar products there.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The Blade also reported that:

A public utilities property tax is still on the books and is a hindrance in luring solar companies to Ohio.

Ohio continues to subsidize coal. Of the $150 million set aside to provide grants and loans that typically range between $50,000 and $2 million for advanced energy projects, $66 million was designated for "clean" coal technology. Per the Ohio Constitution, state funding for coal projects can be in the form of grants, but funding for other alternative energy projects, such as solar, must be in the form of loans.

California has 140 solar manufacturers, and Arizona (37), Florida (26), New York (23), New Jersey (21), Massachusetts (21), Colorado (20), Texas (19), New Mexico (18), Illinois (15), Michigan (15), Pennsylvania (14), and Oregon (11) all exceed Ohio's count.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why is Ohio lagging behind? The answer is simple, and it comes from Ted Strickland's own mouth:

"Ohio been a passive state for quite a while, and this is just one of them," Mr. Strickland said. "There was just no real[effort] pursuing alternative-energy companies."

Why no effort, Ted? As the leader of this state, should you not be beating the drum for for solar power plants to come into Ohio? Is it because you are a Dirty Coal Governor under the influence of coal lobbyists like the UMW, Duke Energy, and Dayton Power and Light?

Why not Ohio? In the state of Oregon, solar manufacturers get tax credits of up to 50 percent of construction costs. At least four solar companies have moved or placed manufacturing operations there since 2007 totaling about 2,000 permanent jobs.

Why Not Ohio? Michigan offers alternative energy companies credits from the state's business and payroll taxes and in 2008 enacted an incentive up to 25 percent - or $15 million - of the capital investment made specifically for companies that build photovoltaics facilities.

Why not Ohio? Because Ted Strickland is Governor. This has to change come November!

Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

Upset the setup! Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

For more information, contact 330-503-1407

9/17/10
 

Where will John Kasich's Tax Cuts Take Ohio? 

David Sirota's description of what's happening to that conservative stronghold of Colorado Springs should serve as a cautionary tale.

Thanks to the city’s rejection of tax increases—and, thus, depleted municipal revenues—The Denver Post reports that “more than a third of the streetlights in Colorado Springs will go dark; the city is dumping firefighting jobs, a vice team, burglary investigators, beat cops; water cutbacks mean most parks will be dead ... recreation centers, indoor and outdoor pools [and] museums will close for good; buses no longer run on evenings and weekends; [and] the city won’t pay for any street paving.”

Meanwhile, even with the Colorado Springs Gazette uncovering tent ghettos of newly homeless residents, the city’s social services are being reduced—all as fat cats aim to punish what remains of a middle class. As just one example, rather than initiating a tax discussion, the CEO of The Springs’ most lavish luxury hotel is pushing city leaders to cut public employee salaries to the $24,000-a-year level he pays his own workforce—a level approaching Colorado’s official poverty line for a family of four.

This is what Reaganites have always meant when they’ve talked of a “shining city on a hill.” They envision a dystopia whose anti-tax fires incinerate social fabric faster than James Dobson can say “family values”—a place like Colorado Springs that is starting to reek of economic death.
Well, maybe it isn't a function of government to provide streetlights, municipal water, parks, swimmingpools, fire department, police protection, and paved roads. Or it won't be, anymore. Someday, we'll have to pave our own roads. Scratch that. We'll be free to pave our own roads and hire our own police, etc.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John Kasich's tax cuts will Turn Ohio Backwards!

Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

9/16/10
 

Ohio's Wind Power Potential Far Greater Than Strickland's 25% Proposal

While Ted Strickland touts his 25% clean energy bill by year 2025 Green Party candidate Dennis Spisak says Ohio could do so much more. According to Ohio wind Working Group, Ohio has the potential to generate 60,000 megawatts of wind energy, TWICE what is needed to power the state. In addition, Ohio is also ranked second in the nation in its capacity to manufacture parts for wind turbines.

But Ted Strickland only believes in 25% clean energy for Ohio because he is bought by the dirty coal and nuke lobbyists in Columbus.

As Green Party candidate for Governor, I would call for 100% potential in wind, solar,biomass, and hydro power as possible.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

for more info: contact 330-503-1407

9/15/10
 

A Green Party Governor Would Support the OEC

As Governor of Ohio, I would work with the Ohio Environmental Council and put a stop to dumping of construction material into Ohio's groundwater.

From the OEC: 

Waste from construction and demolition sites are routinely dumped into Ohio's landfills. The construction and demolition debris (CDD) industry has long contended that this waste is inert and poses no risk to groundwater or the environment.

Yet last year, Ohio EPA released study results on Ohio's CDD landfills, concluding that liquid waste from CDD landfills "poses a threat to public health and the environment if released to groundwater or surface water." 

New reports released by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) have resulted in a combined effort across the state involving many environmental organizations and Ohio citizens to urge Governor Strickland to issue a moratorium regarding Construction & Demolition Debris (C&DD) landfill facilities.  The moratorium would halt additional construction and expansion of C&DD facilities until the Ohio Revised Code and Administrative Rules can be altered in order to provide protection from the reported dangers of C&DD landfill toxins to underground bodies of water.

Many other states require the same safety regulations for C&DD facilities as for Solid Municipal Waste (SMW) facilities. 
Ohio's requirements for C&DD are vastly inferior to SMW requirements resulting in hazard to Ohio's environment and to the health of Ohio's citizens.  The OEPA reports document the need for more protection in Ohio
.

=================================================== 

I urge Ted Strickland  to issue a statewide moratorium on dumping construction and demolition waste in Ohio's CDD landfills.Our health, and the health of my community, depend on it!

Ted Strickland won't because he is not a "green Governor", but I will!

Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

for more info: contact 330-503-1407

9/14/10
 

Why Not Ohio? Let's Make Things In Ohio With Green Jobs

It's time in Ohio for the Governor, business, labor, bipartisan lawmakers and communities work hard to build a clean energy future. It's time we turn away from Ted Strickland's plans for more dirty coal plants and nuke plants for true green renewable energy power.

Throughout this campaign I have spoken to people who want America to "make things again."  By providing the training that will turn 20th century blue-collar jobs into secure 21st century green-collar jobs, we'll not only reduce our dependence on foreign energy, but also reenergize the American manufacturing sector. 

It's time we have an Ohio Governor committed to ensuring that we emerge as the country's and world leader in clean energy technology and jobs.

 As we try and recover from this recession, the transition to clean energy has the potential to grow our economy and create thousands of jobs for Ohioans as we enter a new energy frontier.

It's time for Ohio's to reject Ted Strickland's plans for more dirty coal and nuke plants.

It's time we begin to make things again in Ohio and America. it's time we begin building green energy manufacturing jobs.

It's time we elect a Governor 100 percent committed to green energy and manufacturing.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

9/13/10

Why Ohio? Tell Ted Strickland No Nukes For Duke Energy

As you know, Ohio utilities rely too heavily on dirty and expensive fossil fuels. Ohio's new energy law requires utilities to invest in efficiency and renewables - creating jobs, protecting public health, and cleaning our air.

However, Ted Strickland supports folks like Duke Energy, who wants to be let off the hook for its efficiency responsibilities and has proposed to build an expensive new nuclear plant instead. If Duke gets away with gutting Ohio's new efficiency and renewable standard, other utilities may try to follow suit!

Wind power and energy efficiency are far cheaper, cleaner and safer than building a new nuclear plant. Ted Strickland knows this, but because Duke Energy PACS have put big money into Ted's re-election campaign this fall, Ted will back Duke's plan for more Nukes in Ohio!

Duke Energy should shield customers from rising energy costs through efficiency and by building more renewables - not a nuclear plant. Duke's plans are bad for Ohio's economy and for the environment!

It's time Ohioans tell folks like Ted Strickland and Duke Energy that we want more renewable energy, not more dirty NUKE PLANTS!

Ohio now receives only 1 percent of it's energy from renewable energy sources. The national average is 9 percent. We need more green energy, not more NUKES!!!

It's time for Ohio to elect a true, Green Governor for Ohio. It's time for Ohio to say NO to Ted Strickland and his dirty NUKE PLANS!!!

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

For more info, contact 330-503-1407

9/12/10
 

How to Strengthen Ohio's Economy
How can we strengthen Ohio's economy? We need a buildup. We need to get back to making stuff, based on real engineering not just financial engineering. We need to launch an E.T.,energy technology, revolution with the same urgency as this bailout. Otherwise, all we will have done is bought ourselves a respite, but not a future. The exciting thing about the energy technology revolution is that it spans the whole economy — from green-collar construction jobs to high-tech solar panel designing jobs. Our No. 1

resource is our people. Let’s put people back to work-

retrofitting and repowering Ohio!

 

Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor of Ohio

 

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

for more info: contact 330-503-1407

9/11/10
 

Corporate Tax Reform and Eliminating Wasteful Economic Subsidies

In a Progressive States Network Report :

Corporations should also be paying their fair share in taxes.  They benefit from state investments in education, infrastructure, and public safety, but unfortunately, corporations have repeatedly and excessively exploited the tax system.

  • Corporate income tax revenue as a share of all taxes has fallen dramatically.  In 1979, the corporate income tax accounted for 10.2 percent of total state tax revenue. In 2005, the figure fell to 6.5 percent. 
  • The Iowa Fiscal Partnership reported that approximately half of Iowa corporations with at least $1 million of sales in state pay no corporate income tax. 
  • Similarly, the Oklahoma Tax Commission revealed that only 35 percent of corporations filing tax returns in 2000 reported positive taxable income- almost an anomaly considering the economy experienced substantial gains that year.
  • The problems are similar at the federal level. A Government Accountability Office report, Comparison of the Reported Tax Liabilities of Foreign- and U.S.-Controlled Corporations, 1998-2005, found almost two-thirds of all corporations reported no tax liability from 1998 to 2005.

Accordingly, there are a variety of corporate taxation policy options legislators can pursue to ensure businesses are contributing adequately to a state.

  • Close Tax Loopholes:  Ending some of the egregious corporate tax loopholes that businesses abuse should be a top priority for lawmakers.  States lose billions of dollars each year as a result of these loopholes.  For instance, states should opt out of the "domestic production deduction" tax break that was passed by the federal government in 2004 and subsequently incorporated into the tax code in several states.  Currently, 25 states allow the deduction, which by 2011, will cost states $500 million annually and favors large corporations over small businesses.  States can also eliminate Net Operating Loss "Carryback" Deductions, reform the "cancellation of debt income" (CODI) provision, and reform the tax treatment of S-Corporations and Limited Liability Companies.
  • Combined Reporting:  23 states have implemented combined reporting, which requires multi-state corporations to report profits from all entities, including subsidiaries, for tax purposes.  Combined reporting is a key policy to restrict tax avoidance.  The policy makes the tax system fairer, brings in greater revenue, and does not impede economic growth.  In fact, CBPP finds, "combined reporting states are well-represented among the most economically-successful states in the country."

The Film Tax Credit as Case Study of Corporate Giveaways:  Several states are dealing with ineffective expenditures, a notorious recent example being the proliferation of film tax credits.  In 2002, only three states offered incentives to the film industry.  Currently, of the 44 states that offer some type of movie production incentive, 28 provide tax credits.  The Tax Foundation provides a graphic that depicts states with incentives and the year in which they were approved.

Following an explosive scandal involving members of the Department of Economic Development and abuse of the film tax credit, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver ordered a review of credits the state provides.  In early January, Iowa released the Tax Credit Review Report that recommended the state:

  • Provide greater transparency of tax credits;
  • Develop an effective return on investment calculation for all tax credits;
  • Establish a five-year sunset for all tax credits;
  • Cap all currently uncapped tax credits;
  • And eliminate certain tax credits.

Reports by many other advocacy organizations and government bodies, including the Oregon Center for Public Policy, Connecticut Voices for Children, New Mexico Fiscal Policy Project, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, indicate that offering these tax credits are ineffective and provide little to no economic benefit to a state or its residents.  The Tax Foundation writes that states are greatly overestimating the impact of providing film tax credits and basing decisions "on fanciful estimates of economic activity and tax revenue (leading to) small returns and unnecessary risks with taxpayer dollars."

Other states have taken tangible steps to address these problems:

  • Connecticut:  Gov. M. Jodi Rell estimated that a $25 million cap for film tax credits would save the state $70 million in the next two years.
  • Massachusetts:  Rep. Steven D'Amico introduced legislation, HB 3854, to limit state spending on incentives for the film industry.
  • Michigan:  Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm proposed reducing the 42% refundable tax credit to approximately 37%.
  • Wisconsin:  Gov. Jim Doyle offered a plan to completely eliminate the state's 25% film tax credit and replace it with a two-year, $1 million grant program to create permanent film industry jobs
  • New Mexico:  Rep. Dennis Kintigh has sponsored HB52 to limit the state's spending on film tax credits.

Discontinue Excessive Corporate Subsidies:  Even as states confront massive gaps, many are still doling out huge subsidies to corporations.  Many times, these subsidies do not produce long-term growth and may even result in lost revenue.  In North Carolina, for instance, a Dell plant closed just a few years after it received a promise of up to $300 million in grants, an amount more than twice the cost of building the plant.  As Good Jobs First explains, states waste money competing for firms to locate within their borders by providing extremely costly and ineffective incentives, rather than on fostering entrepreneurship and new jobs.  The report details:

[T]ax reductions, exemptions or credits exert a very small marginal influence on corporate investment decisions... For the vast majority of companies, tax breaks are windfalls, not determinants, and are therefore wasted.

As government officials look to eliminate wasteful spending, they should also rethink allocating enormous and often inefficient business tax breaks as a better option than cutting programs for their most vulnerable residents.  The public money squandered through tax credits and corporate subsidies demonstrates that blind giveaways are not a sustainable model for economic growth and a more transparent budget process is needed in the future.

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As Governor of Ohio, Corporations will pay their fare share of taxes.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

for more info: contact 330-503-1407

9/10/10

New Revenue is Needed to Invest in Economic Recovery

In a Progressive States Network report :

 As 48 states confront monetary shortfalls this fiscal year, the budget will undoubtedly be the predominant focus of lawmakers.  In fact, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimates that states will face cumulative deficits of approximately $350 billion in 2010 and 2011.  The downturn has also taken an enormous toll on tax revenue.  Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody's Economy.com, reports that state and local tax revenues have dropped 9 percent from last year, "the largest decline on record going back to just after World War II."  

During an economic downturn, progressive revenue generation is far preferable to deep cuts, as it allows states to provide funding for essential programs, pump money into the economy, and protect working families in this time of hardship.  A budget that relies too heavily on cuts will not only force layoffs of state employees, but will also cut off funding in the state for crucial services, thereby reducing spending pumping dollars in the private sector. 

Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Nobel prize winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz confirm:

[T]ax increases on higher-income families are the least damaging mechanism for closing state fiscal deficits in the short run.  Reductions in government spending on goods and services, or reductions in transfer payments to lower-income families, are likely to be more damaging to the economy in the short run than tax increases focused on higher-income families.

As a recent report by the Economic Opportunity Institute denotes, "every dollar of state spending generates $1.41 of economic activity.  Much of that spending - 62%, or 88 cents - boosts the private sector.  Cutting state spending means fewer purchases from suppliers, reduced contracts with service providers, less money from public and private employee paychecks circulating through local businesses - and of course, fewer public services."

Also, spending on programs that assist low and middle-income families is smart economic policy.  By assisting working families, who will more readily spend their funds on basic necessities, the government is boosting short-run demand and fostering market activity.  For instance, Zandi finds that increasing food stamps spending creates $1.73 in demand for each dollar spent by the federal government. 

Cuts Hurt the Economy:  Unfortunately, several states have responded to the fiscal crisis with deep service cuts:
  • 28 states instituted cuts that will limit low-income children's access to health care
  • 24 states have slashed services for the elderly and disabled
  • 36 states have reduced funding for higher education
  • 42 states implemented cuts that affect state employees, including 26 that have hiring freezes, 14 that have announced layoffs and 26 that have decreased wages

If new revenues are not generated, further cuts will continue a cycle of job layoffs by states, lower spending on crucial programs, diminished economic growth, and deep budget cuts.  The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) provides the following chart illustrating the danger of state budget cuts as they ripple through the economy; teachers, nurses and police are laid off, state funds supporting private sector activity are reduced, and individuals receiving state support stop spending in their local communities.

Working and Middle Class Families Have the Highest Tax Burdens On Average:  A common misconception about state and local taxes is the idea that the wealthy have incredibly high tax burdens.  The reality is the richest taxpayers have not been contributing their fair share for years.  When you factor in sales and excise, property, and income taxes, states tax working families far more heavily than richer individuals, according to Who Pays?, a report from ITEP.  As the graph below highlights, the lowest 20 percent of earners pay about 11 percent of their income in state and local taxes while the top 1 percent pay a little over 6 percent of their income to state and local governments.  

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We need to raise revenues in ohio to avoid loss of services. Somebody tell

Ted Strickland that. He cuts programs as bad as a Republican!

Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

9/9/10

Debunking Myths that Taxes Undermine Economic Growth

Debunking Myths that Taxes Undermine Economic Growth
The Progressives States Network reported:

One reason states are readily raising revenue as an alternative to more cuts is that they can turn to a wealth of examples to debunk the rhetoric that raising taxes to fund services in a state is harmful to the economy. 

Taxes Do Not Undermine State Economic Growth:  As we've highlighted in previous Dispatches, research consistently show that, contrary to right-wing rhetoric, there is no link between tax increases and job loss.

  • States with higher personal income tax rates experienced significant job growth in the past decade, as the Fiscal Policy Institute and Center for Working Families point out in their report, Back on Track and as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found in a similar report.
  • Moreover, according to a 2008 Information Technology & Innovation Foundation analysis, states with some of the higher marginal income tax rates, including New York and Maryland, have more innovative new economy industries.  Likely as a result of larger investments in infrastructure, education, and technology, these states are better suited to foster economic growth that is sustainable and well-paying in an increasingly fierce global competition for jobs.
  • This builds on analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) detailing that states the collect the highest percentage of personal income in taxes actually sustain higher income growth.
  • Similarly, an older study by the California Budget Project (CBP) analyzed state economies and concludes, "[s]tates that enacted large tax cuts between 1994 and 2001 - reducing revenue by at least 7 percent - subsequently experienced weaker growth in jobs and personal income and larger increases in the unemployment rate, on average, than other states."

Progressive Taxes Don't Cause Out-Migration of Wealthy Residents:  Opponents of progressive income tax reform like to argue that tax increases cause wealthy residents to leave a state.  In fact, states that have increased the top rate in recent years have not experienced any significant out-migration of wealthy residents:

  • California:  The California Budget Project found that there was a significant growth in millionaire households after California passed higher PIT rates in the 1990s and again in 2004.  In fact, the number of California millionaires increased by 37.8 percent between 2004 and 2006.
  • New Jersey:  A Princeton University report discovered that the passage of a higher top rate in 2002 had "little effect on migration patterns among half-millionaire households."
  • New York:  After the state temporarily raised income taxes on the wealthy from 2003 to 2005, the number of high income tax returns grew 30 percent, from 250,000 to 325,000.

A New York Times article, entitled "Taxes Not Seen as Making the Rich Flee New York" succinctly articulates:

[T]here is surprisingly little evidence to support the proposition that rich New Yorkers would bolt if forced to pay higher income taxes.  Though tracking the movement of wealthy taxpayers from state to state is difficult, experts on public finance and migration say they have yet to document a substantial 'rich drain' in states that have raised income taxes in recent years.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't believe everything John Kasich tells you about tax cuts. They don't work!

Dennis Spisak -Green Party candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

 

for more info, contcat 330-503-1407

9/8/09

Public Support for Progressive Taxation & The Failure of the Anti-Tax Movement
 The Progressive States Network reported that byapproving Measures 66 and 67, Oregonians not only expressed their desire to protect services, but became the latest state to reject the hollow manipulations of right-wing anti-tax rhetoric. 

  • Just last November, voters in Maine and Washington rejected anti-tax initiatives , including so-called "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" (TABOR) initiatives meant to impose a rigid strait jacket on revenue options for state legislatures.
  • In 2008, similar measures were defeated overwhelmingly in Massachusetts, North Dakota and Oregon.  In all three states, proposed initiatives that would have slashed or, in the case of Massachusetts, completely eliminated the income tax, were rejected at the polls.
  • In 2006, voters in Maine, Nebraska and Oregon each rejected TABOR ballot initiatives.  This came on top of judges and other officials rejecting TABOR initiatives in Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma and Missouri due to fraud and manipulation by anti-tax campaigns.
  • In 2005, voters in Colorado--the only state ever to approve a TABOR initiative--decided by initiative to significantly weaken the TABOR rules.  This followed years of declining education and health standards due to the state's as a result of the implementation of the TABOR.

State Legislatures Reject Anti-Tax Rhetoric as Well:  The string of failures of the anti-tax movement at the ballot box is paralleled by state legislatures passing revenue increases across the country.  In 2009 alone, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin instituted either a permanent or temporary reform of personal income taxes.  Another 11 states considered or enacted business tax increases to help deal with budget deficits and even more states raised other taxes or fees to address the fiscal crisis in state across the country.

The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) notes that out of the 28 attempts by the right-wing to introduce TABOR legislatively, Colorado is the only state that has adopted this disastrous policy.  State lawmakers have watched as Colorado's experience with TABOR has led to an increase in the number of adults and children without health insurance and a severe decline in education funding.

Empty Threats by the Anti-Tax Right:  While right-wing leaders like Grover Norquist and his Americans for Tax Reform like to make threats of punishing legislators who raise taxes, anti-tax forces have largely revealed themselves to be weak paper tigers.  After New Jersey increased taxes on the wealthy in 2004, the Democratic House majority increased to its largest size in three decades the following year, while progressives in Maryland and Minnesota continued to maintain and grow strong legislative majorities in the wake of approving increased taxes on high-income earners in 2008 and 2007.

In 2009, BISC found that "[t]he Grover Norquist, Club for Growth, Glenn Beck, Tea Party crowd tried to use the bleak budget picture as an opportunity to ratchet down even harder as states look to find the revenue necessary to protect priorities, create jobs, and get their economies going-- but voters rejected that failed approach."

Even many conservative politicians have rejected these type of policies.  For instance, Tom Slade, the former head of the Florida Republican party, dismisses Norquist's ideas and finds his anti-tax pledge to be illogical and dangerous.  Slade states, "[y]ou don't know how wide or deep the river's going to get.  Saying I'm never going to use a life boat seemed foolish to me."  After a Republican State Senator from Virginia, Robert Hurt, voted for a $1.4 billion tax increase, Norquist vowed to back a primary challenge against him.  Despite this, the Senator won re-election and is now favored to win the party's nomination for Congress.

Public Opinion Supports Funding Public Investments:  Polling shows that 79% of the public believes "[g]overnment investments in education, infrastructure, and science are necessary to ensure America's long-term economic growth."  Accordingly, during an economic downturn when so many working families are struggling, voters are likely to support policies to raise revenue, strengthen public programs, and provide safeguards to those who have been hurt by the recession.

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As the Green Party candidate for Governor, I say Ohio must return to a progressive tax structure to balance our state budget.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

For more info, contact 330-503-1407

9/6/10
 

Why Not Ohio? Samsung Signs $6.6 Billion Solar and Wind Power Deal with Ontario, Canada

I read a Green Options report which states the Ontario will be giving the green light to receive 16,000 jobs thanks to their energy legistlation which is allowing a 6.6 billion dollar wind and solar power deal to fall their way:

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 In one of the biggest renewable energy deals in the history of the world, a Korean consortium led by Samsung has agreed to build 2,500 megawatts of wind and solar power capacity in the Canadian province of Ontario.

Samsung C&T and the Ontario government signed the deal on Thursday, January 21st. The agreement will bring thousands of jobs and clean energy for more than half a million homes to Ontario.

Building off of this new deal, Korean trade officials plan to make Ontario their base of operations for all of North American.

Samsung first proposed the deal about a year ago, but Ontario’s Green Energy Act is what seems to have actually moved the proposal to a reality — another reason for clean energy activists in the US to look with puppy dog eyes at the rest of the world as they speed ahead with clean energy (and clean energy jobs) and Americans remain tied to the old bone of dirty technology.

As The New York Times reports, “Under the terms of the agreement, officials said, Samsung must build four manufacturing plants in Ontario, promising 16,000 direct and indirect jobs over the next five years. The energy generated will be enough for 580,000 homes.”

The first phase of the project is scheduled to be built near an old coal plant that is supposed to be decommissioned by 2014 (near Windsor). Out with the old, in with the new.

Samsungs new manufacturing facilities under this deal (4 manufacturing plants in Ontario) will be producing wind turbine towers, wind blades, solar inverters and solar assembly by 2015.

Now, as Ontario’s premier, Dalton McGuinty, says, “This means Ontario is officially the place to be for green energy manufacturing in North America.” With generous subsidies for clean energy production under its new Green Energy Act, many more clean energy developers probably have their eye on Ontario as well.

With a project so big and so close to home, the US may start to take the clean energy and climate change legislation that is currently in the Senate a little more seriously. We will see.

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Why not Ohio? Is it because we have a fossil fuel Governor in the likes of Ted Strickland? A Governor who never met a nuke or coal plant he didn't like?

Blue-green jobs are out there, except their going to Canada, while Ohio gets no jobs and only more and more dirty pollution from Ted Strickland's dirty coal plants.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

for more info: contact 330-503-1407.

9/6/10

REPORT:  JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE GREEN ECONOMY IN OHIO

Job Opportunities for the Green Economy: A State-by-State Picture of Occupations that Gain from Green Investments is a new report from the Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The report examines 12 states and the people employed in occupations affected by six green economic strategies: building retrofitting, mass transit, energy-efficient automobiles, wind power, solar power and cellulosic biofuels. It also looks at what the average wages are in each state for these jobs.  Job Opportunities for the Green Economy makes clear that millions of U.S. workers—across a wide range of occupations, states, and income and skill levels—will benefit from a movement to defeat global warming and transform the United States into a green economy.

Job Opportunities in a Green Economy: Ohio Can Gain from Fighting Global Warming:

Curbing global warming is the work of a generation; specifically, the work of
millions of people, performing the jobs needed to build the green economy.
Clean energy investments will create opportunities for welders, sheet metal
workers, machinists, truck drivers, and others. In Ohio, there are more
than 551,000 jobs in a representative group of job areas that could see job
growth or wage increases by putting global warming solutions to work. And
the benefits of those new jobs would spread to a much wider swath of the
economy.

Clean-Energy Strategies Can Generate Job Growth

A new study by economists at the Political Economy Research Institute of the University
of Massachusetts at Amherst examines the types of jobs that are needed to create a clean-energy economy and pinpoints six specific energy strategies that reduce pollution and can lead to job growth:
Building retrofitting
Mass transit
Energy-efficient automobiles
Wind power
Solar power
Cellulosic biofuels

New jobs will certainly be needed for building a green economy, but the vast majority of jobs associated with these six green strategies are in the same areas of employment that people already work in today, in every region and state of the country. For example, constructing wind farms creates jobs for sheet metal workers, machinists, and truck drivers, among many others. Increasing the energy efficiency of buildings through retrofitting relies, among others, on roofers, insulators, and building inspectors. Expanding mass transit systems employs civil engineers, electricians, and dispatchers. What makes these entirely familiar occupations “green jobs” is that the people working in them are contributing their everyday labors toward building a green economy.

As the  Green Party Candidate for Goveernor of Ohio, I will work to bring these types of jobs back to the state to help our poor, working, and middle class.

Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

for more info contact 330-503-1407

9/5/10

The Green Party Of Ohio Stands With Working Ohioans

TheGreen Party of Ohio calls for a guaranteed job at a living wage; a single-payer, universal health insurance plan; restoration of workers' rights; an end to corporate abuse of trade; an end to corporate welfare and corporate domination of elections; universal access to quality public education; protection of the environment; an end to bigotry on the job and in society; "NO" to privatization; solidarity with locked-out workers and workers on strike; and other measures designed to provide workers with job security and a decent standard of living.

We stand with Ohio's working men, women, and families, people who the Democrats and Republicans have forgotten over the years.

 

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

9/4/10

The Time To Clean Up Ohio's Lakes Is Now, Not Two Years From Now

This summer blue-green algae that has turned many of Ohio's lakes into toxic cesspools. The situation is so bad that state officials have issued "no contact" advisories for several lakes across the state - including Grand Lake St. Mary's, the state's largest inland lake. How did things get this way? In large part, because of runoff from the state's factory farms.
The toxic blue-green algae is thriving in part becuase of incredibly lax regulation that dictates when factory farmers can spread manure. Right now, the state allows manure spreading even in the winter when the ground is frozen. Because frozen soil can't absorb the manure, virtually all that waste ends up in Ohio's lakes and streams. Incredibly, the state recognizes this problem but is proposing to let these industrial livestock producers continue to spread manure on snow and frozen ground for two more years.

Ohio's lakes are already toxic. We don't have two years to wait while this problem gets worse. Tell Ted Strickland and the Department of Natural Resources to stop this destructive practice immediately so we can enjoy Ohio's lakes now!

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

For more info, contact 330-503-1407

9/3/10

How To Keep Ohio's Students From Leaving The State

. To keep college graduates from leaving the state, Ohio must become a more attractive state to reside in. We must improve employment opportunities for students while increasing the diversity of new jobs coming into the state as well as creating more blue-green jobs for Ohio. We also need to better fund our public education system, clean up Ohio’s environment, and pass Single-Payer Health Care for All Ohioans so students will want to remain in the buckeye state. By passing statewide universal healthcare, Ohio would be sending the message that we want our young college graduates to stay in Ohio and that we will provide health care for them and their growing future families.

 

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

 

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

 

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

 

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

9/2/10

Let's Bring Business Back To Ohio

To attract business to Ohio, the focus must be on innovation as a driver of the economy in seven focus areas: expansion and creation of industry clusters, education and talent, business climate, infrastructure, international business, quality of life and innovation through research and development and commercialization of new products by Ohio companies. We need the state's agencies, together with federal and local governments, to cooperatively develop an effective and comprehensive ``investment strategy'' in urban areas to encourage investment and job creation in our inner cities. We must aggressively promote Ohio’s business assets with a new and fresh marketing strategy to dramatically increase business investment and resources. 

 Our educational system must be improved as knowledge-based, diversified industries need a skilled and educated workforce. The top requirement from potential businesses is education and workforce.

 

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

9/1/10
 

A Green Progressive Direction For Ohio In 2010

The Green Party of Ohio wants to move the Buckeye State in the following progressive directions in 2010:The economy: Centered on innovation that creates good-paying jobs and provides every Ohioan a fair opportunity to prosper.Health: Every Ohioan should have access to a state-of-the art, affordable health care system.Education: A vibrant, well-funded, and expanding public education system with the highest standards for every child and school. We also support early childhood education.Environment: A clean, healthy, and safe enviroment for ourselves and our children: water you can drink and air you can breathe. Polluters pay for the damage they cause.Energy: We need to make a major investment in renewable energy for the jobs it will create, independence from Middle Eastern oil, improvements in public health, preservation of the environment, and the effort to halt global warming.Equal Rights: We support equal rights in every area involving race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.

Protections: We support keeping and extending protections for consumers, workers, retirees, and investors.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info: contact 330-503-1407

8/31/10

It's Time For New Leadership In Ohio

New Conditions impose new requirements upon government and those who conduct government. The Democrats and Ted Strickland will continue to operate in their fail ways of the past four years if re-elected this November. That is why we need a Green Party Governor and leadership to move Ohio forward.We need a green government that owes to every man an avenue to work, a right to own property, and a right to health care.We must see that purchasing power is well distributed throughout every group in this state. We need to see wages restored and unemployment aided, and farmers brought back to their level of prosperity. We need to create opportunity once more in this great state.We must have government leadership that believes in change and progress. We must have a state government for the benefit of the many, not the benefit of the few.

To do what Ohio's future requires and what the public sector cannot do-or is not doing-effectively, ethically, or not at all. It is the job of the governor to promote, and, if possible, provide protection, greater democracy, more freedom, a cleaner environment, broader prosperity, better health, and the building and maintaining of public infrastructure.

 

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

 

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

 

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

 

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

8/31/10
 

How a Green Party Governor Would Fix Ohio's Budget Problems.

How a Green Party Governor Would Fix Ohio's Budget Problems.

How would a Green Party Ohio Governor fix Ohio's budget problems?

Green Party Candidate Dennis Spisak would restructure the 2005 tax changes that lowered income taxes for wealthy taxpapers. The Office of Budget and Manaagement says reversing just one year of the income tax cuts would bring in $422 million dollars. To help low-income households,raise the amount households can make before owing an income tax. Implement an Ohio Earned Income Tax Credit system like the Federal EITC. Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia have this credit in place which would bring low-income familes out of poverty.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

 

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

A Green Party Government Will Do What Democrats Won't Do

A Green Party Government does what Ohio's future requires and what the public sector cannot do-or is not doing-effectively, ethically, or not at all. It is the job of the government to promote, and, if possible, provide protection, greater democracy, more freedom, a cleaner environment, broader prosperity, better health, and the building and maintaining of public infrastructure.We picture an Ohio where people care about each other, not just themselves, and act responsibly with strength and effectiveness for each other.We want to protect Ohioans, we want them to prosper, and we want them to be treated fairly.There is no fulfillment without freedom, no freedom without opportunity, and no opportunity without prosperity.This is the principle that the Green Party of Ohio is running on in this year's election.The difference between the Green party of Ohio and the Democrats this election year is the straight fact that the Green Party of Ohio believes in equal protection and equal opportunity for all Ohioans, principles the Democrats have long abandoned.For the most vulnerable in Ohio, The Green Party has a duty to do two things: minimize their pain and maximize their gain. On good days, we do not leave anyone out. On bad days, we do not leave anyone behind.

The Green Party of Ohio does not accept a state where people of color and low-income people are always first in line for everything bad and then left to benefit last and least when it comes to anything good.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

8/28/10

The Green Party Plan to Fix Education Funding In Ohio

Ted Strickland's model to fund education is confusing and impossible to fund.

What we need is a straight approach to funding education. 

I believe we need to remove education funding from the general revenue fund by creating an education trust fund. This fund would be responsible for funding primary, secondary, and higher education. It would earmark part of the state income tax, sales tax, and the commercial activity tax as it’s funding source.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

8/27/10

Where To Make Cuts In The State Budget

The first place I would look to make cuts is in the area of Adult Corrections. Spending on state prisons has been among the fastest growing expenditure in state budgets. The need for around-the-clock supervision increases operating costs in institutional agencies compared with other state agencies. The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has the largest staff of any state agency.

The last place I would look to make cuts is to K-12 public education and health and human services.  These sectors have already been sliced to pieces.

In looking at Medicaid expenditures, though most seniors prefer to receive long-term care in their homes, Ohio’s long-term care delivery system substantially favors care in institutional settings. We must balance our long-term care delivery system to ensure long-term sustainability.

 

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

 

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

 

for more info, cotact 330-503-1407

8/26/10
 

How To Fix Ohio's 8 billion Dollar Budget Shortfall

    The Center for Community Solutions suggests a three part strategy to solving Ohio’s budget crisis

tax increases,
reductions in tax expenditures, and
reductions in programmatic expenditures.

 While the term ‘tax expenditures’ may be unfamiliar, their existence and significance are quite familiar indeed. More generally, and pejoratively, described as ‘loopholes’ or ‘tax breaks,’ they may be defined as a loss of tax revenue attributable to an exemption, deduction, preference, or other exclusion from tax law.

In Ohio, the relative burden of state and local taxes paid by businesses has steadily declined since 1975, from 40 percent to 26 percent in 2010. This trend was reinforced by the business, personal income, and sales tax changes adopted five years ago in H.B. 66, and subsequent modifications enacted during 2009 in H.B. 318. (It is worth noting, too, that these tax changes also shifted a significant portion of taxes paid by individuals and families from the progres- sive income tax to the regressive sales tax.)

While incomes for most Americans have stagnated for three decades, those of Ohioans have generally stagnated at lower levels, reducing the capacity of the middle class in particular to bear additional tax burdens.

The wealthiest fifth of taxpayers have enjoyed soaring incomes for over 20 years. While progressive federal taxes have also made them by far the largest contributors to the overall costs of government, the regressive effects of combined state and local taxes in Ohio take a larger share of middle class incomes than the wealthy.

Business taxes, as a proportion of state tax revenue, have been in steady decline for several decades; the long-range implications in this regard of the 2005 tax overhaul are as yet unclear.
State personal income and business tax changes during the middle of the last decade (The 2005 Tax Reduction Act) have contributed significantly to the structural deficit. (About $2 per year or $4 per per biannual budget).

Returning to the former upper bracket rate of 7.5 percent for those whose incomes have outpaced the vast majority of Ohioans, would affect just over 2 percent of taxpayers, while raising $448 million annually. (This top rate, and all rates, were reduced 17% by the 2005 Tax Reduction Act, and are still scheduled to be reduced 4.1% more.)

The imbalance between business and individual taxes also might be addressed in a revenue package. Currently, the rate on the CAT is set too low to reimburse schools and local governments for the full amount of lost tangible property tax revenue. The resulting drain on the General Revenue Fund during the next biennium is estimated to be $322 to $438 million, far short of even beginning to replace lost revenue from the former corpo- rate franchise tax. Each 1/100 of 1 percent increase in the CAT would annually raise approximately $50 million. An increase of 0.08 percent would yield about $400 million annually, enough to cover the estimated cost of GRF subsidies to schools and local governments for loss of tangible personal property tax revenue, and return ap- proximately $200 million per year to the GRF.

 I will take a realistic approach to balancing Ohio's budget shortfall. Ted Strickland and John Kasich won't.


Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

 

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

To Fix Ohio, Government Must Do More

To Fix Ohio, Government Must Do More

Today's economic disconent is much less likely to be replaced by other concerns in 2011. That's why I am calling on government to do more for working Ohioans, not less.

People are worried about their finances and the state of the economy, possible loss of health insurance and homes, as well as unemployment figures near historic highs. Ohioans want a government to be more intense in helping people in this time of what Ted Strickland calls the Great Recession.

We must have government provide answers to inequality and eonomic insecurity. We must flatten the Ohio income distribution without adverse effects to economic growth. We must guarentee citizens of Ohio a chance at receiving new blue-green jobs as well as universal health care throught the Health Care for All Ohioans Act.

Ohio must have progressive leadership after 2010, and the Green Party is the only party willing to advocate policies that actually help people: Single-Payer healthcare, blue-green jobs creation, and better funding of education for all.

For more information contact: 330-503-1407

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Why Not Ohio? Michigan Governor Calls for Feed-in Tariffs

Michigan Governor Calls for Feed-in Tariffs Cites Ontario's Success

August 9, 2010

by Paul Gipe

In an address to a progressive think tank, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm called for feed-in tariffs to develop the American renewable energy industry and the attendant jobs this would create.

Granholm has often spoken publicly about feed-in tariffs in her campaign to bring new industry and jobs to the distressed state. However, in her presentation to Center for American Progress, Granholm was clearer in her policy proscriptions and why they were necessary.

The reason, she said simply, "is that every other country is eating us for lunch".

"We have to send a message to employers across the world that we're serious. . ." about renewable energy, she went on. "Bottom line is we need feed-in tariffs for solar and wind . . . All these other countries are doing this," Granholm added.

The Governor warned the audience that while the US dawdles, others are moving ahead.

"Ontario now has a feed-in tariff. We have been trying to lure a number of solar companies to Michigan . . . and they are all saying, 'Oh my, are you kidding? I can go across to Ontario and have a feed-in tariff like they have in Germany'.

"We are missing out if we don't use these smart policies," here too, she said.

Why Not Ohio? Again, we see another Midwestern Governor calling for more Feed-In tariffs while Ohio Governor Ted Strickland remains silent.

Must be Ted's dirty coal and nuke PAC Backers got Ted's tongue.

I support Feed-In Tariffs for Ohio. Ted Strickland doesn't.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

8/23/10

Why Not Ohio? Colorado Towns Explore Renewable Energy Options

Already, 75 percent of the electricity distributed by the municipal utility department in Aspen comes from renewable sources, mostly wind. The city hopes to push that to 83 percent with installation of a small hydroelectric plant on a local creek.

Could something called a feed-in tariff push Aspen toward its goal of 100 percent renewable energy?

Feed-in tariffs provide generators of small to intermediate amounts of renewable energy fixed prices and long-term guarantees from their utility. The guarantee gives entrepreneurs easier access to financing.

“We are certainly going to look at it intensely to see if it has merit,” says Dave Hornbacher, the city’s deputy director of utilities and renewable energy. “It appears to have the potential to facilitate additional photovoltaic installations,” he added.

In the wonkish world of energy policy, feed-in tariffs occupy a particularly esoteric niche. But speakers at a workshop last week in Boulder said they will be crucial in accelerating the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’re not thinking grandly enough, boldly enough,” said Randy Udall, an energy analyst and activist from the Aspen area. Feed-in tariffs, he said, are the only way to achieve the giant steps that are needed.

Jim Woolsey, a former director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, said they would also provide environmental benefits by reducing atmospheric pollution from mercury, nitrous oxide and other toxin byproducts of burning coal.

Woolsey said feed-in tariffs could also make the United States less vulnerable to terrorists by making our energy supplies less centralized. An ordinary squirrel in Ohio was able to put New York as well as other states and parts of Canada into the dark in 2003. He suggested a few people with far more malevolent intentions could do far worse.

The effect of the tariffs would be to substantially change the nature of our electrical supply. That existing system is centralized around large coal-fired plants. But feed-in tariffs would create more diverse and dispersed energy sources.

Why Not Ohio? Why does Governor Strickland not push for Feed-in tariffs?

Is it because we know Ted Strickland is tied too closely to dirty coal and nuke PACS who tell Ted how to supply power to the state?

I am afraid it is so.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green party of Ohio Nominee fior Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info, contact 330-503-1407

8/12/10
 

Ted Strickland Wants To Make Ohio's Air Even Dirtier

Ted Strickland believes in burning for Biomass. Industry groups are pushing hard to get large-scale tree and garbage incineration into a mix as “renewable biomass” energy.  Think that sounds too bad to be true?  Ohio’s renewable energy standards already count trees as “renewable biomass.”  Several Ohio utilities are seeking permits under these regulations to cut and burn millions of tree's for energy. It's time we elect a Green Party governor to keep garbage and trees out of any proposed federal definition of renewable biomass.

Burning biomass is not “carbon neutral” in any time frame that is meaningful to climate change. Our nation’s forests are natural “carbon sinks” and our best defense against the climate crisis. When forests are cut for biomass incinerators, they will not re-store the amount of carbon released for decades,, if at all. Groundbreaking scientific reports issued in June 2010 by the Manomet Center for Conservation Science and Environmental Working Group conclusively show that biomass incineration using forests as fuel will undermine efforts to curb carbon emissions. The destructive impacts on forest  diversity have been documented from Oregon to Massachusetts. Burning garbage and wood for electricity is terribly inefficient; biomass incinerators are about 25% efficient – that is, for every 100 trees burned, only 25 are converted into energy. Finally, available data shows biomass burning smokestacks emit more carbon dioxide per unit of energy than coal, oil and natural gas, and in some cases up to 50% more carbon dioxide than coal, per unit of energy.

Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

Http://www.dennisspisak.com

for more info contact 330-503-1407 

8/11/10
 

Let's Fix Ohio's Economy By Fixing Taxes

  • Ohio corporations are chartered by the State, "for the public good", and the State has the power to control corporations through their charter. Ohio has in the past even revoked charters that are abused. We need to implement legislation, specifically the state corporate code, that will enable Ohio citizens to control corporations for our service. We also need to ensure that state officeholders, specifically the Attorney General, fulfill their obligations to challenge corporations that exceed their chartered authority or seek to govern.

     

  • Ohio taxation needs to be fair and equitable. We need to eliminate tax loopholes and other forms of corporate and personal welfare for those with large assets. This will help provide resources for the investments in education, infrastructure and innovations needed to grow a healthy Ohio through the twenty first century. 
  • Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

     

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    8/10/10
     

    Kids Worse Off Today On Ted Strickland's Watch

    A child advocacy organization’s report shows there’s room for improvement in providing for the welfare of Medina County’s children.

    Mead Wilkins, director of Medina County Job and Family Services, presented the 2009 Ohio KIDS COUNT statistics to county commissioners a few weeks back. They showed that in many categories area children are economically worse off than they were several years ago.

    “What it’s shown is that children are falling through the safety net,” Wilkins said.

    The Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio, a nonprofit organization, recently released the publication, which contains data regarding children’s welfare in Ohio and for each county. The report compares the most recent data available in four categories — economic security, health, education and safety — to data from 2001.

    The numbers showed the economic well-being of Ohio children has declined. More children are living in poverty, receiving food stamps and in public health care programs.

    Wilkins said the numbers will be an important tool in showing state lawmakers that funding and legislation is important in protecting children.

    What future funding under Ted Strickland? Hasn't the Governor's office already told Ohio agencies to brace for another 10% cut to budgets for the next budget cycle?

    Under Ted Strickland's leadership over the past four years, children in Ohio have suffered, because Ted Strickland has dropped the ball with his continued funding cuts and the lack of any plan to turnaround Ohio.

    Can we afford another four years of Ted Strickland's agenda for our children? How many more children must fall through the safety net under Ted Strickland's watchful eyes? Yes sir, If we keep Ted in charge, all of Ohio's children may one day get to live in a chicken coop in Duck Run like the Governor.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more information, contact 330-503-1407

    8/9/10
     

    Green Collar Jobs Will Make Ohio Stronger

    Green collar jobs arewhat's needed in turning Ohio's faltering economy around. John Kasich can talk about his tax cuts plans and Ted Strickland can talk about being from Duck Run, but in the end we will need a Governor who believes and promotes green jobs in the state of Ohio.

    Green-collar jobs are good jobs. Like blue-collar jobs, green-collar jobs pay family wages and provide opportunities for advancement along a career track of increasing skills and wages. A job that does something for the planet, and little to nothing for the people or the economy, is not a green-collar job. The green economy cannot be built with solar sweat shops and Wal-Mart wind farms.

    Most green-collar jobs are middle-skill jobs requiring more education than high school, but less than a four-year degree -- and are well within reach for lower-skilled and low-income workers as long as they have access to effective training programs and appropriate supports. We must ensure that all green-collar jobs strategies provide opportunities for low-income people to take the first step on a pathway from poverty to economic self-sufficiency.

    The green economy demands workers with new skill sets. Some green collar jobs -- say renewable energy technicians -- are brand new. But even more are existing jobs that are being transformed as industries transition to a clean energy economy: computer control operators who can cut steel for wind towers as well as for submarines; or mechanics who can fix an electric engine as well as an internal combustion engine. We need identify the specific skills the green economy demands. Then we need to invest in creating new training programs and retooling existing training programs to meet the demand.

    Much of the work we have to do to green our economy involves transforming the places that we live and work and the way we get around. These jobs are difficult or impossible to offshore. For instance, you can't pick up a house, send it to China to have solar panels installed, and have it shipped back. In addition, one of the major sources of manufacturing jobs -- a sector that has been extensively off-shored -- are components parts for wind towers and turbines. Because of their size and related high transportation costs, they are most cost-effectively produced as near as possible to wind-farm sites. Cities and communities should begin thinking now about ways their green strategies can also create local jobs.

    Urban and rural America have both been negatively impacted over the past decades by a failure to invest in their growth -- green-collar jobs provide an opportunity to reclaim these areas for the benefit of local residents. From new transit spending and energy audits in inner cities to windmills and biomass in our nation's heartland, green jobs mean a reinvestment in the communities hardest hit in recent decades.

    This may be obvious. The "green" in green-collar is about preserving and enhancing environmental quality. Green-collar jobs are in the growing industries that are helping us kick the oil habit, curb greenhouse-gas emissions, eliminate toxins, and protect natural systems.

    Green-collar workers are installing solar panels, retrofitting buildings to make them more efficient, constructing transit lines, refining waste oil into biodiesel, erecting wind farms, repairing hybrid cars, building green rooftops, planting trees, and so much more. And they are doing it today. There are already many green-collar jobs in America. But there could be so many more if we focus our economic strategies on growing a green economy.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    8/8/10
     

    Let's Fix Ohio's Education Problem Once And For All

    The State of Ohio must ensure that its citizens receive appropriate education opportunities in order to eradicate poverty, reduce crime, and assure proper medical care. We call for a comprehensive and holistic approach to insuring the equitable, quality education programs in Ohio. Ohio needs to the educate all of Ohio's children to sustain the well being of the entire state. The Ohio state constitution article 6 says we " will secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state" The Ohio Green Party stands behind this article of the Ohio Constitution.

    1. The Ohio Green Party supports equitable funding of all Ohio school districts, and we support the following three goals of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding:
      Goal 1: Develop a comprehensive needs assessment of current facilities.
      Goal 2: Develop standards that clearly define high quality education for Ohioans; establish a "per-pupil funding level" required to meet these standards; create a new system of funding which will assure each district adequate funds to meet these "per-pupil" standards and which will diverge from "excessive reliance on property tax as a funding source."
      Goal 3: Provide immediate relief to districts operating without the funds necessary to meet the new standards, based on need as opposed to the budget-based emergency assistance of the "School Solvency Assistance Program" or further reliance on property taxes.
    2. Meaningful civic education should be mandatory for Ohio's secondary school curriculum. Students should be involved in programs that teach them the power of democracy and the responsibility of citizenship at an early age. Programs such as student government, peer mediation and peer counseling should be used to address the ever-growing trend of emotional and psychological abuse among students that has shown in recent years to lead to violence. In this way, students should be encouraged to be part of the solution.
    3. The GPO recognizes that 20% of the adults in Ohio function at the lowest levels of literacy and that only 85% of the adults over 25 have a high school or equivalency diploma and calls for the end of the marginalization of adult literacy programs. We support funding of programs that offer adult literacy education, vocational training, and family literacy as a means to break the cycle of illiteracy and poverty.

    Current Governor Ted Strickland and the Democrats and Republicans have put education funding reform on the backburner. It's time to make funding education a number one priority in Ohio.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more information, contact 330-503-1407

    8/6/10
     

    Got Mercury? Got Smog? Got Soot? Thank Ted Strickland

    While some "progressive" blogs are hailing Governor Ted Strickland as the Green Power Governor because of his commiyment to 25% of renewable energy sources powering Ohio by 2025, Ted is still a friend and lover of DIRTY COAL.

    Ted Strickland's energy policy thus calls for the remaining 75% of energy needs to come form nuke plants or building bigger and dirtier coal plants. Environment Ohio executive director Erin Bower notes that 87 percent of the state’s electricity comes from burning coal, compared with a national average of 53 percent. Ohio is ranked fourth nationally in its contributions to the country’s carbon dioxide emissions problem, Ohio ranks second nationally in the amount of those emissions coming from coal-fired power plants.Bower has also commented that “The important thing is that the Legislature and our governor really listen to Ohioans across the state who are clamoring for alternatives to being so dependent on fossil fuels, which are putting Ohio at the top of the list for mercury pollution and smog and soot pollution,” she said.

     The facts are Ted Strickland will never move fast enough or massive enough on clean renewable energies. He is powered and manipulated by nuke and coal lobbyists and will continue to be if elected to a second term as Governor.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    8/5/10
     

    Why Not Ohio? No More Coal On Ohio College Campuses

    It's time to get dirty coal off of all Ohio college and university campuses.

    Ohio needs more Geothermal Systems on Ohio Campuses

     An AP story from last December pointed out that while solar and wind power get most of the headlines, geothermal power is quietly being placed on college campuses where energy costs can take millions of dolalrs each year from the school budgets."

    The article points out that 46 colleges and universities across the country are divvying up millions in federal stimulus dollars to advance technology that uses the temperature of the Earth, rather than coal-fired power plants, to heat and cool buildings. So far this year, the Department of Energy has announced $400 million in grants to advance these geothermal projects.

    By going to geothermal power, colleges rely less on coal fired plants to heat their campuses. This cuts down on dirty emissions as well as costs to the schools. Thus, colleges switching to geothermal heating can eventually keep tuition costs down as well as clean up their enivronments at the same time. Ohio should become a leader in this type of program and require all college campuses to follow this lead and make Ohio college campuses air friendly while passing the savings on to students through lower tuition rates.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    8/4/10
     

    Ted Strickland's Dirty Resume

    Ted Strickland likes to telll people he is a "Green Governor." Ted Strickland likes to tell it so much that he must be trying to convince himself that he is a "Green Governor."

    Fact is, Ted Strickland has a dirty resume when it comes to cleaning up Ohio's environment. Ted doesn't want to clean up Ohio, but in fact, make Ohio a dirtier state.

    Actions, or inactions speak louder than words.Ted Strickland can go to all the energy conferences and talk about how he wants to bring renewable energy to Ohio, but in reality, his actions as Governor show he is in the pockets of Nuke and Coal Lobbyists here in the Buckeye State.

    Let's look at Ted Strickland's resume:

     1. He did not oppose the proposed nuke reactor at Piketon.

     2. He did not oppose the AMP Coal Plant in Meigs County,but promoted it.

     3. His energy plan for Ohio calls for more Nukes and "Clean" Coal. Ohio does not need more troublesome nuke plants like Davis-Bessie in the state and is there no such thing as "clean coal."

    Ted Strickland has a dirty resume he is hiding from the people of this great state who want a cleaner Ohio. The Governor is just blowing smoke when he says he is a "Green Governor."

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    8/3/10
     

    It's Time For The Health Care For All Ohioans Act

    I support the Health Care for All Ohioans Act to improve and better health care for all Ohioans. Ted Strickland supports the President's plan which does nothing more than support the current health insurance companies and their lobbyists.

    I support the following Prosperity Agenda Findings on a single payer health plan for Ohio:

    A single payer system would remove the private insurance industry which puts profits before the needs of patients. This would accomplish a number of objectives. First, such a system would give people the greatest security and control over their lives. People would have greater security because health care would no longer be tied to employment. People would have access to health care as a birthright. People would have more control over their lives because they would no longer be limited to the approved insurance list of doctors, health providers, hospitals, and treatments but could choose whomever they preferred. The real death panels, insurance industry reviewers who deny health care recommended by doctors, would be put out of business.

    Second, an improved single payer system would be good for the American economy. Unlike the bills being considered in Congress, such a system would control costs, allow group negotiation of prices, and provide more predictable health care expenses for consumers, business, and government. A single-payer national health care plan would be a job creator rather than a drag on the economy. A study published this year found that such a system would create 2.8 million jobs, netting 2.2 million new jobs when insurance industry job losses were subtracted. This means hundreds of billions in new economic activity and tax revenues. And, a unified single-payer system would allow for the opportunity to capture hundreds of billions of dollars formerly lost to waste, fraud, and abuse.

    When we looked at what Congress and the White House were doing we saw single-payer, the most cost-effective and popular reform among American voters, off the table and not being considered. When President Obama held a White House summit on health care he did not invite any single-payer advocates to attend. After emails, phone calls and faxes the Obama administration invited one single-payer advocate, Dr. Oliver Fein, along with Rep. John Conyers to attend. Neither was allowed to talk at the event, but the insurance industry was the first and last speaker at the summit. From the White House summit the writing was on the wall - this "reform" was going to protect the profits of the private insurance industry. This is what Ted Strickland supports!

    Ted Strickland supports the status quo in health care for Ohioans. He supports insurance companies continuing to make huge profits. Why?

    Because Ted Strickland takes in huge campaign donations from such PACS as Aetna and Medical Mutual...to the tune of some $28,000 to date.

    Now we know who butters Ted Strickland's bread.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    8/2/10
     

    It's Time To Come Clean Ohio:Time To Remove Dirty King Coal Ted Strickland

    Ohio ranks almost dead last in the current use of renewable energy across the country.

    Ohio is currently only producing 1 percent of it's energy from renewable energy sources, while the national average is at 9 percent.

    Ohio that far behind? Yup, because we have a dirty coal governor in the likes of Ted Strickland who refuses to clean up Ohio while at the same time promote more renewable energy.

    Ohio needs to come clean.This is a great moment for the state of Ohio to move forward in creating renewable energy jobs, companies, and industry.

    If we elect a Green Party Governor of Ohio, no longer will Ohioans have to live with mercury in our air and water from dirty coal plants. We can move forward in building solar, wind turbines, and geothermal plants while showing dirty coal lobbyists the exit doors at the statehouse.

    It's time to come clean Ohio. It's time to remove Ted Strickland as Governor.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407 

    8/1/10
     

    Could You Run On Ted Strickland's Record?

    Ask the average Ohioan on the street this simple question and you are guarenteed a blank stare back from the person whom you've posed the question to:

    "What has Ted Strickland done for the state of Ohio?"

    Ask the man on the street, Joe Bagofdonuts, that question and you get an immediate "deer in the headlights" reaction and stare. Any maybe one word..."duh?"

    Yes, from Columbus to Cleveland to even Duck Run, when average Ohioans are asked that question, not one has been able to come up with a single answer.

    What has Ted Strickland done for the state of Ohio?

    Fixed Ohio's economy? No. Fixed Ohio's broken financial education system?No. Cleaned up the environment? No. Help bring affordable single-payer health-care to Ohio? No. Help the poor, sick, and aged? No. No. No.

    Since Ted Strickland won the Democratic Nomination back in  May, no one has been able to answer that question.

    Even Ted Strickland can't answer that question. The only thing we have heard from Ted's mouth since May is that he once lived in a chicken coop in Duck Run.

    And unless he turns around Ohio  in terms of committing himself to a Green New Deal, Fixing Public School Funding, Cleanig Up The Enviroment, and Approving Single-Payer Health Care, we might all one day wnd up living in a chicken coop in Duck Run.

    Could you run on Ted Strickland's record? I don't think so.

    We know Ted Strickland certainly can't, and he proves it everyday.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/31/10
     

    Why Not Ohio? Feed-In Tariffs Can Spur Green Energy Growth

    The feed-in tariff (FIT) has exploded renewable growth every place it has been implemented and a new study from UC Berkeley says it will do the same in California.

    A FIT is an above-retail rate ("tariff") paid for renewable energy-generated electricity that producers "feed" into the grid. It was first used in California in the late 1970s and early 1980s but failed at that time due to design flaws and lack of support. Revived in Germany with stunning success in the early 2000s, the FIT concept has subsequently been used successfully, according to Professor Dan Kammen, the lead author of the UC Berkeley study and one of the foremost U.S. renewable energy authorities, in at least fifteen countries. Dozens more are considering implementation.

    The proposed California FIT has been carefully designed to drive the growth of projects in the one-to-twenty-megawatt range. This spectrum encompasses both small solar systems driven by the state's "million solar roofs" initiative and utility-scale projects driven by its Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) that requires regulated utilities to obtain twenty percent of their power from renewable sources by the end of this year and 33 percent from renewable sources by 2020.

    According to the study Economic Benefits of a Comprehensive Feed-In Tariff: An Analysis of the REESA in California, from Kammen and Max Wei of the University of California, Berkeley's Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory Energy and Resources Group, a well-designed feed-in tariff like the one used by the newest version of REESA, will bring California $2 billion in additional tax revenues and $50 billion in new investment, add an average of 50,000 new jobs each year for a decade and provide the mega-growth in renewables that California will need to meet its newly mandated standard of 33% renewable electricity by 2020.

    Why Not Ohio? Why isn't Ted STrickland pushing for feed-in tariffs? Is it because once again we see that Ted Strickland can not think outside the box when it comes to promoting Green Energy in Ohio? Is it because TEd STrickland is so committed to dirty coal and nuke energy he lacks the drive and passon for feed-in tariffs? I believe so.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

    7/30/10
     

    The Straight Scoop Strickland And Kasich Won't Tell You

     It shows that Ohio’s tax system at present is regressive — those with lower incomes pay a higher percentage of their incomes in state and local taxes.

    The Center for Community Solutions suggests a three part strategy to solving Ohio’s budget crisis

    • tax increases,
    • reductions in tax expenditures, and
    • reductions in programmatic expenditures.

    Excerpts For the Report:

    • While the term ‘tax expenditures’ may be unfamiliar, their existence and significance are quite familiar indeed. More generally, and pejoratively, described as ‘loopholes’ or ‘tax breaks,’ they may be defined as a loss of tax revenue attributable to an exemption, deduction, preference, or other exclusion from tax law.
    • In Ohio, the relative burden of state and local taxes paid by businesses has steadily declined since 1975, from 40 percent to 26 percent in 2010. This trend was reinforced by the business, personal income, and sales tax changes adopted five years ago in H.B. 66, and subsequent modifications enacted during 2009 in H.B. 318. (It is worth noting, too, that these tax changes also shifted a significant portion of taxes paid by individuals and families from the progres- sive income tax to the regressive sales tax.)
    • While incomes for most Americans have stagnated for three decades, those of Ohioans have generally stagnated at lower levels, reducing the capacity of the middle class in particular to bear additional tax burdens.
    • The wealthiest fifth of taxpayers have enjoyed soaring incomes for over 20 years. While progressive federal taxes have also made them by far the largest contributors to the overall costs of government, the regressive effects of combined state and local taxes in Ohio take a larger share of middle class incomes than the wealthy.
    • Business taxes, as a proportion of state tax revenue, have been in steady decline for several decades; the long-range implications in this regard of the 2005 tax overhaul are as yet unclear.
    • State personal income and business tax changes during the middle of the last decade (The 2005 Tax Reduction Act) have contributed significantly to the structural deficit.  (About $2 per year or $4 per per biannual budget).
    • Returning to the former upper bracket rate of 7.5 percent for those whose incomes have outpaced the vast majority of Ohioans, would affect just over 2 percent of taxpayers, while raising $448 million annually. (This top rate, and all rates, were reduced 17% by the 2005 Tax Reduction Act, and are still scheduled to be reduced 4.1% more.)
    • The imbalance between business and individual taxes also might be addressed in a revenue package. Currently, the rate on the CAT is set too low to reimburse schools and local governments for the full amount of lost tangible property tax revenue. The resulting drain on the General Revenue Fund during the next biennium is estimated to be $322 to $438 million, far short of even beginning to replace lost revenue from the former corpo- rate franchise tax. Each 1/100 of 1 percent increase in the CAT would annually raise approximately $50 million. An increase of 0.08 percent would yield about $400 million annually, enough to cover the estimated cost of GRF subsidies to schools and local governments for loss of tangible personal property tax revenue, and return ap- proximately $200 million per year to the GRF. Table 5 outlines some options for increasing tax revenue.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/29/10
     

    Why Not Ohio? Oregon and Others Fill Budget Holes With Tax Increases

    Ohio must develop a balanced approach for raising revenues, one that least burdens low-income families and the unemployed.

    Government spending-on payroll, contracts, and subsidies-can also be a form of economic stimulus that can ease the impact of the recession. John Kasich is wrong when it comes to budget cuts-deep cuts not only hurt people who need assistance-they can make the recession worse.

    Ohio must look to raising revenues, even if it involves tax increases to help fill holes in the budget. 11 states raised income taxes in Fiscal Year 2010, including Oregon, which also raised it's corporate income tax. The nonpartisian Oregon Legistlative Reference Office compared the economic impact of the tax increases with the impact of the expenditure reductions that would have been needed to fill the budget gap. The report concluded in the short run, the state would be better off with a tax increase instead of budget cuts. In the long term, the economic effects of a tax increase depended on how increased revenue was spent. Spending on educationa nd infrastructure were likely to raise productivity and have a positive economic impact.

    Why Not Ohio? Why must Ohio continue down the same old re-hashed ideas when it comes to economic stability? Ohio needs to follow the leads of other states and create truely new ways of doing business and raising revenues to rebuild our economy.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For mroe info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/28/10
     

    Ohio Has A Revenue Problem, Not Spending Problem

    Why is Ohio in an 8 billion dollar budget shortfall? Well, Ohio government doesn't have a spending problem, it has a revenue problem. The deep recession and structural problems in the economy have compounded the effect of tax policy decisions.

    Receipts to the General Revenue Fund did not grow at all between fiscal year 2006 and 2008. Between fiscal year 2008 and 2009, revenues fell by 12 percent, and are expected to fall another 7 percent in fiscal year 2010.

    It's time Ohio begins to look at reversing the tax changes of 2005 that reduced state revenues by 2.4 billion dollars.

    It's time Ohio begins to look at increasing taxes which historically have not hindered a strong economic recovery. During the recession of 1983-1989 Ohio's economy gained an average of 118,00 jobs a year. During the recession of 1993 to 1999, Ohio's economy created an average of 108,000 jobs a year. In contrast, the economy has not seen a boost from the tax cuts that have taken place since 2005.

    It's time Ohio has a Green Party Governor who will truely work to get Ohio out of a recession.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspissak.com

     

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/27/10
     

    To Fix Ohio's Budget, Tax Loopholes Must Go

    Last month, the nonprofit Center for Community Solutions called for a three-pronged approach of cuts, tax increases and eliminating tax breaks to fix the budget.

    "Closing any loophole is difficult because each has a particular rationale and specific interest group that will rise to its defense," the Cleveland-based group said. "Often, supporters of these exemptions justify them on the grounds of economic development and job creation. Equally often, the rationales are long on theory and short on measurable evidence."

    I am the only candidate for Governor who agrees with the Center and calls for such tax loopholes to be studied and eventually elimintating some tax breaks to fix the budget.

    A three-pronged approach is the most logical way to fix Ohio's 8 billion dollar budget shortfall. Ted Strickland and John Kasich will tell you cuts alone can save the budget. Ted Strickland and John Kasich are wrong.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Partry of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contat 330-503-1407

    7/26/10
     

    Let's Use A Green Agenda To Turn Ohio Foward

    It's time we use a Green Agenda to fix Ohio after 2010. Ted Strickland's Turn Around Ohio plan has failed. John Kasich's plan to will Turn Ohio Backwards. Let's Turn Ohio Forward using a state-wide Green Agenda.

    To Fix Ohio's 8 billion dollar budget shortfall, I call for an income tax increase and business tax increase. I believe we should pairs these tax proposals with plans for an audit of the state budget to identify and cut wasteful programs, practices and positions – and ending pork-barrel spending. We must take these actions first before we commit to cutting another 10% in the state budget that would hurt
    Human Services and Public Education.

    I believe in raising the minimum wage to a “living wage,” making college free for qualified residents and expanding public sector employment with more, higher-paying social service jobs.

    I believe in a state-run bank – similar to one created by North Dakota – which would collect all state revenues to invest both surplus funds and private deposits in projects that would benefit the state.

    I also want to promote green energy by implementing a “fee and dividend” system, which would collect fees from greenhouse gas producers and nuclear power companies. Part of the proceeds would be used to pay the state’s bills, while the rest would be redistributed to among Ohio residents, with low-income residents receiving the largest shares.

    This Green Agenda will help Turn Ohio forward. Ted Strickland and John Kasich's plans won't.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more information, contact 330-503-1407

    7/25/10

    Time For A New Green Deal For Ohio

    It's time for a Green New Deal for Ohio.

    Here are the eight policies endorsed by the Green New Deal Coalition:

    • Create millions of green union jobs through massive public investment in renewable energy, mass transit and conservation;

    • Set ambitious, science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, and enact a revenue-neutral carbon tax to meet them;

    • Establish single-payer “Medicare for all” health care;

    • Provide tuition-free public higher education;

    • Change trade agreements to improve labor, environmental, consumer, health and safety standards;

    • Enact tough limits on credit interest and lending rates, progressive tax reform and strict financial regulation;

    • Amend the U.S. Constitution to abolish corporate personhood; and

    • Pass sweeping electoral, campaign finance and anti-corruption reforms.

    Let's Turn Ohio Green! Let's remove Red and Blue Politicians from Ohio!

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

     

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    More Ways To Save Human Services From More Strickland Cuts

    Ohio needs real ways to help save Human Services from more of Ted Strickland's budget cuts.

    Cost pressures from Medicaid, criminal justice, and other programs will continue to squeeze human services unless fundamental reforms take place.

    in Medicaid, this means rebalancing long-term care for the elderly to ensure access to less expensive home and community-based care options.

    In crimminal justice, the state should redirect nonviolent offenders to more appropriate settings and invest in programs to reduce recidivism.

     

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    Let's Redesign Ohio's Tax System To Save Human Services

    To save Human Services from more cuts of Ted Strickland's budget-cutting sword, it's time to reverse some negative trends.

    First, Ohio's state and local taxes have become more burdensome on low-income people over time and more favorably for the wealthy.

    Second, the business share of state and local taxes has declined, leaving individuals to pay a greater share of the table.

    As Governor, I would call for tax changes needed to balance the state budget. I would restore 2004 income tax rates on the wealthiest atxpayers, closing tax loopholes, and increasing the rate of the new commercial activity tax so that it returns a sufficient amount of revenue to the state's general fund.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green PArty of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/21/10

    Ted Strickland:Hurting Human Services In Ohio

    Tax cuts under the Ted Strickland administration have reduced the state's revenues by more than $2 billion per year. When combined with revenue losses from the recession, the state cannot meet current obligations to provide basic programs such as mental health, adult and child protective services, and emergency assistance for families in need.

    The next budget will be even worse for health and social services if revenues are not increased. Ted Strickland's current budget relies heavily on federal stimulus funds and one-time state funds, creating a budget deficit of $ 6 Billion to $8 Billion by fiscal year 2012.

    Ted Strickland has no plan to raise revenues. Ted Strickland continues to talk about making drastic cuts to the state budget if re-elected.

    Can Human Services continue to take massive cuts from Ted Strickland's budget cutting knife? I say no.

    It's time save Human Services in Ohio. It's time to remove Ted Strickland as Governor.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/20/10

    Let's Get Ohio University Truely Green and White, Not Brown And Black

    As the Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor, I support the efforts of the Ohio University Beyond Coal student group and their effort to get Ohio University on the fast track to cleaner energy sources.

    As a 1981 graduate of Ohio University. I support Beyond Coal's efforts to create an OU Athens campus that is at least 50 percent carbon neutral by 2025.

    The Lausche Power Plant on campus received 31,164 tons of coal which produced around 1.4 million tons of Sulfer Dioxide in 2007. Sulfer Dioxide is dangerous to breathe in and over long periods of time and can be harmful to health and the environment.

    Ted Strickland sees nothing wrong with the continued burning of coal in Ohio. In fact, Ted Strickland lobbied for an additional coal plant to be built in Meigs County.

    It's time for Ohio students and residents to have a truely Green governor who supports the efforts to reduce coal use in the Buckeye State. We need to improve the health and environment of our state. I will do that.

    Ted Strickland won't.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    719/10
     

    Why Not Ohio? Let's Bring Jobs To Ohio Using Solar Power

    Ohio may not be first state that comes to mind when people think about solar power. But solar panels utilize the sunlight that allows us to see, not necessarily the sunlight that makes us hot. Therefore, Ohio’s weather is more than adequate to make solar power viable.

    The world’s largest solar markets are in Germany and Japan—neither nearly as sunny as Ohio. Within the U.S., states with the largest amount of solar installations are also not known for their sunny weather. New Jersey has the second-largest amount of solar installations, and New York and Connecticut also rank in the top ten. The primary driver of these solar markets is the policies enacted in these states and countries, not their solar energy potential. 

    Why Not Ohio? Solar power has the potential to be a significant part of Ohio’s energy future, and Ohio is already home to more than 115 companies and research institutions involved in the solar energy industry.

    The solar photovoltaic (PV) industry has proven to be a bright spot in the global economy.  For the past 15 years, the industry has experienced annual growth rates of 30 to 40 percent.   Global solar PV installations grew from 125 MW in 1999 to 4,500 MW in 2008, resulting in a compound annual growth rate of 47 percent for the last 10 years.    Looking ahead, most industry observers expect continued 20+% annual growth in the PV markets for many years to come.

    Employment sectors that would increase in demand with an investment in solar power include, but are not limited to, the following:

    •    Carpenters
    •    Materials suppliers including glass, plastic, metal, chemicals, sealants, etc.
    •    Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers
    •    Electricians
    •    HVAC mechanics and installers
    •    Inspectors, testers, and sorters
    •    Machinists
    •    Sheet metal workers
    •    Business operations specialists
    •    Chemical technicians
    •    Civil engineers
    •    Computer and IT managers
    •    Computer programmers
    •    Environmental engineers
    •    Mechanical engineers
    •    Payroll and timekeeping clerks
    •    Purchasing agents
    •    Sales representatives
    •    Surveyors
    •    Training and development specialists
    •    Tool and die makers
    •    Shipping and receiving clerk

    If we have a truely Green Governor who commits to solar power instead of Ted Strickland who is committed to bringing more and more dirty coal power to Ohio, we will bring more jobs to Ohio. We will Move Ohio Forward.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/18/10
     

    Why Not Ohio? Ontario To Use Wind Power To Boost Manufacturing

    A $1.1-billion wind farm development slated for Southwestern Ontario would be the largest of its type in the province and cement the region’s reputation as a wind energy centre.

    Next Era Energy, North America’s largest energy company, is proposing to build three wind farm projects in Lambton and Huron counties. Combined, they’d dwarf other farms — adding up to 300 wind turbines to the landscape and generating 490 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 144,000 homes.

    The developments would also bring manufacturing jobs, since Next Era will buy either General Electric or Siemens turbines and has made it clear it wants to buy local — pressing the manufacturers to open plants here.

    Over the next six years about 1,000 MW of wind power are expected to be added to the power grid each year.

    Murray Stewart, president of the Energy Council of Canada, agreed, saying Next Era’s “is a big development and there are a lot more on the horizon.”

    He also credited Ontario’s Green Energy Act and its feed-in tariff program — it pays a fixed amount to businesses providing energy to the grid, and the rates for sustainable energy ensure a profit — with spurring development.

    “There is no question the FIT makes it easier for suppliers and developers to come here — they get a good, long-term contract and a good market,” he said.

    What a difference government can make. In Ontario you have a government pushing Feed-In Tariffs and wind energy, while Ted Strickland pushes dirty coal and nuke power for Ohio. How many new manufacturing jobs are your new dirty coal plants bringing into Ohio, Ted? Zilch, Zero, None.

    Ohio is already at the bottom of the list of states currently using renewable energy at producing only 1% of renewable energy. Do we really see this number going any higher with Ted Strickland remaining in office for another 4 years? I don't think so.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/17/10

    Why Not America? Germany Kicks Butt When It Comes To Renewable Energy

    Germany installed more solar photovoltaics (PV) in the first quarter of 2010 than the US installed in all of 2009.

    30,000 new solar PV systems were installed in the first three months of 2010 for a total of 714.7 MW.

    In a draft study, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) reports that only 435 MW of solar PV were installed in the entire US in 2009.

    Renewable energy journalist Craig Morris was the first to report the story in English at his blog,
    Notes from the Otherside.

    Germany installed more solar PV in the first month of 2010, about 240 MW, than the state of California installed in all of 2009, 212 MW, according to preliminary data from IREC. Germany has twice the population of California but a much smaller land area.

    While attention has focused on Germany's solar PV development, the country continues to install wind and biogas plants as well. In 2009 Germany installed nearly 2,000 MW of new wind generating capacity--roughly equivalent to 1,000 wind turbines--and about 1,000 MW of new biogas plants.

    Italy was also expected to surpass the US in total solar PV capacity during the first quarter.

    America, Losing the World Cup in Renewable Energy as well. What do you expect from leaders like Preesident Obama and Ted Strickland who are addicted to dirty oil, dirty coal, and nuke power?

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/16/10

    How Green Is Ted Strickland? Ohio Ranks Near The Bottom In Renewable Energy

    Ted Strickland likes to claim that he is the "Green" Governor. Ted Strickland lieks to claim that he is turning Ohio into a renewable energy giant.  Fact is, Ohio is near the bottom of the list of states when it comes to having renewable energy.

    The League of Womern Voters May 2010 Ohio Renewable Energy Database states the following:

     Ohio continues to lag other states in renewable energy. Ohio still gets only a bit more than one percent of its electricity from renewable sources. Since the national average is about nine percent, we rank close to the bottom of the states by several criteria.

    Thus, Ted Strickland is not as green as he makes himself and Ohio out to be.

    Ohio ranks close to the bottom of all states in renewable energy.

    And we want Ted Strickland to lead Ohio's green energy crusade for another 4 years.

    I think not.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more information, contact 330-503-1407

    715/10

    How To Shore Up Ohio's Budget Problem

    To fix Ohio's looming budget problem we must focus on three areas: New Tax Revenue, Reduced Tax Expenditures, and Reduced Programmatic Expenditures.

    We must reinstate the upper bracket personal income tax rate of 7.5%, which would generate $900 million dollars.

    We must increase the CAT tax by .08%, which would cover the estimated General Revenue Fund subsideries to schools and local governments and raise over $400 million dollars.

    We must reduce tax expenditures, which cost Ohio over $ 7 billion dollars a year.

    We must also reduce expenditures, which could also save millions over the biennium.

    A Green Party Governor can call for these changes. Ted Strickland and John Kasich won't.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/14/10

    Why Not Ohio? Illinois Poised To Be Major U.S. Solar Player

    At a former industrial site on Chicago's South Side, more than 32,000 solar panels slowly tilt every few minutes, following the sun as it moves across the sky.

    Operated by Exelon Corp. (NYSE:EXC) , the 40 acres of panels in West Pullman is the nation's largest urban solar plant, generating 10 megawatts of clean power and hope for an Illinois industry that has long waited for its moment in the sun.

    "We have been frustrated over the years that solar has not become more mainstream," said Kevin Lynch, who trains electricians to install solar panels for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. "We understand it's still a relatively expensive technology, but the cost is much less than it was a few years ago."

    Indeed, the biggest obstacle to the growth of solar energy -- its cost -- has started to decline. The price of photovoltaic solar panels dropped more than 40 percent last year due to a glut in global supply, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

    The drop in price is driving renewed interest in solar energy, said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center.

    Last month, Illinois lawmakers passed legislation that will double the state's solar power supply each year and create an estimated 5,000 "green" jobs by 2014. Meanwhile, at least three solar developers have plans to build solar projects of 10 to 20 megawatts in Illinois, Learner said.

    To be sure, Illinois is not quite the solar-powered mecca of California or Florida. But the potential is there: The sun in Illinois is more intense than in Japan or Germany, the world's two largest solar markets.

    "Illinois has the opportunity to be a very significant solar energy leader between the two coasts," Learner said.

    Why Not Ohio? Because Ted Strickland still pushes for more and more dirty coal power plants and nuke plants for Ohio.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/13/10

    Let's Stop Ted Strickland From Hurting Early Childhood Education

    Ted Strickland's funding decreases for early childhood care and education in H.B. 1 has damaged Ohio's early childhood system and decreased access to quality care for all families with young children. The decisions Ted Strickland makes with future budgets will not only affect Ohio's families but Ohio's future as well.

    Research show that 85% of a child's brain is developed by age 5, making the first five years of life critical to development, growth, and the foundation for future learning. Yet Ted Strickland's decision to decrease revenues in early childhood education will have negative impacts and more costly impacts when these children reach the K-12 system unprepared to learn. The result will be less academic achievement, higer criminal activity among low-achieving children, and eventually a less-prepared workforce.

    Ted Strickland's choice to cut spending on early childhood care and education will only mean larger and more damaging costs to our families, our workforce, and our state budget to come.

    Ohio is facing a substantial budget deficit next year. Ohio's revenue structure has been severely damaged by five years of tax cuts, all on Ted Strickland's watch. Ohio's budget can no longer be balanced by cuts alone, increased revenue must be part of the solution.

    Ted Strickland won't raise revenues for early childhood care and education.

    I will.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/12/10

    If Ohio Needs Jobs, Ohio Needs To Go Green

    Between 1998 and 2007, the growth in green jobs was 9.1 percent, far outpacing growth in all jobs at 3.7 percent. This pace is expected to continue across the country. Green Energy expeditures are more labor-intensive than fossil-fuel based expenditures producing three to four jobs as compared to one job from the same amount expended on fossil fuels.

    While there is a need for specialized skills in some green jobs, workers still need the basics. Green skills are an overlay of new skills and knowledge; and learners cannot access the new knowledge without the foundation.

    For Ohio to gain jobs, you must have a Governor committed to going 100% green, and not just 25% green by 2025 like Ted Strickland.

    You need a Green Governor willing to commit 100% to green economic investments such as building retrofitting, mass transit/freight rail, smart grid, wind pwoer, solar power, and advanced biofuels.

    Ohio needs to go green for more jobs in the future.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/11/10

    Why Green Jobs Are Important For Ohio

     A clean green energy economy generates jobs, businesses and reinvestments while expanding clean energy production, increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution, and conserving water and other natural resources.

    Can Ted Strickland's dirty coal plants and nuke plants say the same?

    A clean green economy is clearly related to the development of new technologies that advance the production and use of clean energy, and conserve the earth's natural resources.

    Can Ted Strickland's dirty coal plants and nuke plants say the same?

    New Green Jobs in Ohio represent a new demand for labor that results from investments in transitioning our state economy away from carbon-intensive energy, minimizing degradation of our natural resources, and protecting Ohioans from pollution and waste.

    Can Ted Strickland's dirty coal plants and nuke plants say the same?

    Green Jobs make the enviornment better.

    Ted Strickland's dirty coal plants and nuke plants can't.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/10/10

    Ohio Freight Trains Will Create New Jobs

    Investments in America’s freight rail system would create thousands of green jobs in Ohio, improve the country’s infrastructure and reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, according to a report released by the BlueGreen Alliance and the Economic Policy Institute. Congressman John Boccieri (D – Alliance) and local elected officials joined members of the United Steelworkers (USW), the Ohio Sierra Club, and Growth Options for the 21st Century (Go21) to highlight the significance of this report in Northeast Ohio.

    The report shows that the expansion of freight rail in the U.S. can create approximately 7,800 green jobs for every $1 billion of capital invested and serves as a guide for policy makers on sustaining and expanding the domestic freight rail network.  If this is expanded to include re-spending by freight rail and supporting industry employees, between 12,300 and 26,600 American jobs would be created or sustained per $1 billion invested.

    It's time we reinvest in improving freight rail lines across the buckeye state.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/9/10

    Ted Strickland: Afraid To Lead, Afraid To Raise Revenues

     

    Ted Strickland refuses to stand up and be a leader. Ted Strickland refuses to see the handwriting on the wall and come to the logical conclusion that increases in state tax rates are needed for the future prosperity of the state.

    Business tax cuts as well as personal income tax cuts over the past five years on Strickland's watch have lead to Ohio being unable to pay for basic services even with his very tight, massive cuts, and low-growth budgets over the last four years.

    If Ted Strickland won't lead this state then I will. I call for restoring the top income-tax rate on taxpayers who make over $200,000 per year.

    In terms of business taxes, I believe in raising the CAT tax to a level that more fairly spreads the tax burdens between workers and businesses.

    We can no longer afford to have a Governor who refuses to take fiscally responsible steps. Ohio continues to head towards more economic doom and downward revisions in state revenues.

    We need a realistic leader to be Governor. We don't need a Chicken from Duck Run.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

     

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/8/10
    Let's Bring Green Mass Transit To Ohio
     Greens support expanding mass transit, and the use of bicycles and other alternatives to cars.

    Our transportation policy encourages the growth of mass transit and alternatives to cars and trucks. We call for major public investment in mass transportation, so that such systems are cheap or free to the public and are safe, accessible, and easily understandable to first-time users. We embrace the “complete streets” concept that calls for streets to be redesigned to better and more safely accommodate all users including cyclists, pedestrians, children, and the elderly.

    Green Solutions

    MORE SAFE SPACE FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS

    1. Make streets, neighborhoods and commercial districts more friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists.

    2. Increase the amount appropriate (native/drought tolerant/etc.) greenery in street design.

    3. Utilize traffic-calming methods, where the design of streets promotes safer speeds and safer interaction with pedestrians. Create auto-free zones in urban cores.

    4. Develop extensive networks of bikeways, bicycle lanes and paths. Include bike racks on all public transit.

    5. Maintain free community bicycle fleets, and provide necessary support for cyclists.

    6. Develop affordable mass transit systems that are more economical to use than private vehicles.

    MASS TRANSPORTATION

    6. Encourage employer subsidies of transit commuter tickets for employees, funded by government congestion management grants.

    7. Use existing auto infrastructure for transit expansion where possible. Light rail should be established in expressway medians through metropolitan high-density corridors.

    8. Expand our state's network of rail lines, including high-speed regional passenger service.

    9. Build rail lines for the exclusive use of passenger trains.

    REDUCE ENERGY-INTENSIVE TRANSPORTATION

    10. Place a moratorium on highway widening then use the money for mass transit and facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists.

    11. Mandate HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes on freeways, and lower toll fees for carpools.

    12. Discourage unnecessary auto use by eliminating free parking in non-residential areas well served by mass transit, and establish preferential parking rates for HOV.

    13. Develop and market the conversion of existing, used cars and trucks to electric vehicles, so that such conversions are cheaper than purchasing new vehicles.

    14. Support government procurement of high efficiency motor vehicles.

    15. Encourage carpooling programs, telecommuting, and other creative solutions to reduce commuter traffic congestion. We advocate fair buy-backs of the most polluting and least efficient vehicles to remove them from the road.

    16. We call for incentives to get long-distance truck hauling off of our highways and on to railways. Governments on all levels must take the initiative in eliminating administrative and logistical obstacles to efficient rail freight transportation.

    17. Make airports accessible by local transit systems.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://wwww.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/7/10

    The Green Party And 10 Key Values For A Better Ohio

    1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY

    Everyone deserves to influence the government decisions that affect their lives. We believe decision making is best done at the individual, local and regional levels. We work to increase public participation and transparency at all levels of government, and to ensure that our public officials are fully accountable.

    2. SOCIAL JUSTICE

    The heart of social justice is the equitable distribution of social and natural resources, both locally and globally, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to develop their innate gifts and talents, and to enjoy the pleasures of life on earth. Greens believe in equal rights for citizens, regardless of gender, race, age, religion, class, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, disability, wealth or health.

    3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM

    Our human community is a part of nature, not separate from it. We must learn to live within the natural limits of our planet, to protect animal and plant life, and the conditions that nourish it. We support a sustainable society that uses natural resources with wisdom, thrift, and with future generations in mind.

    4. NON-VIOLENCE

    We endorse non-violence, and work towards lasting personal, community and global peace. We support demilitarization, disarmament and elimination of all weapons of mass destruction. Security does not derive from military strength but from justice, cooperation, negotiation, mutual respect, sound economic and social development, and environmental conservation. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree. However, we recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations.

    5. DECENTRALIZATION

    Greens seek to reverse the increasing concentration of wealth and power, both economic and political. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual, local and regional levels, while assuring that fundamental rights are protected for all citizens. Power should be centralized only as a last resort. We believe in local self-reliance, buying local, eating local, and strengthening local communities.

    6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS

    Greens aim to build vibrant local economies that maintain balance with nature. A Green economy supplies meaningful work with dignity, while paying a living wage that reflects one’s true contribution. We want to reduce the rights and powers of large corporations, and to expand the rights and powers of individuals in our economy, including the right to basic economic security.

    7. FEMINISM

    We want more women leaders in every area of life. We advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment and equal opportunities for women and everyone else. We honor the ability of women and the Earth to regenerate life. A woman’s right to control her own body shall not be infringed.

    8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY

    We celebrate cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and strive to build peace and understanding between disparate groups. We believe that the diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and governments, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally kept out of it. We depend on the diversity of the natural world and we must protect it.

    9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY

    We must change our values and lifestyles to make them consonant with peace, justice and preserving life on our planet. We should act with the well-being of others in mind, including other peoples, nations, species and future generations. We should not pursue our well-being to the detriment of others. Greens believe in the power of setting a good example.

    10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY

    The Earth’s resources are finite. We cannot long live beyond the carrying capacity of the earth. So we must build a sustainable society that guarantees our long-term future, and that of other species with whom we share this planet. Where knowledge is limited, we follow the precautionary principle for safety, and to secure the continued abundance of the resources of the planet for present and future generations. Our actions must be motivated by sustainability and quality of life, not short-term profits and perpetual economic growth.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/6/10

    The Green Party and Fair Taxes For Ohio

    Most working Americans pay too much in taxes compared to corporations, multi-millionaires and billionaires.

    Our current tax system is outrageously unjust. It is riddled with loopholes, subsidies and dodges for corporations and the super-rich. Many of our biggest and most profitable corporations pay little or no tax. Much investment income is taxed at less than the rate workers pay.

    We can afford to cut taxes for most Americans if we make corporations and the super-rich pay their fair share.

    Our tax system is far too complex. Greens want a simpler, fairer tax code.

    Political democracy remains a distant promise without economic democracy. A principal instrument for achieving economic democracy is our tax system. Taxes are the means whereby we fund our public services. They can also help create equity, justice, health and sustainability.

    Progressive taxation, shifting tax from individuals to corporations, taxing bads not goods, taxing unearned income at same rate as earned income, taxing speculation on Wall Street, and cutting corporate tax giveaways are the best ways to use the tax system to bring about a better America.

    Green Solutions

    Cut taxes for hard-working Americans

    1. People earning less than $25,000 per year, and families earning less than $50,000 per year (adjusted for inflation), should be exempt from income tax. Federal and state income taxes must be strongly progressive.

    2. Exempt food, clothing, prescription medications, and other necessities and second-hand goods from sales taxes.

    Fair taxes for corporations and wealthy Americans

    1. End corporate welfare, such as the bailouts for Wall Street, the big banks and the automobile industry; subsidies for agribusiness, Export-Import Bank loan guarantees; tax abatements for big box stores; the tax loophole for “carried interest” from private equity and hedge fund managers; tax deductibility for advertising and business entertainment expenses; offshore tax avoidance schemes; giveaways for new sports stadiums and casinos.

    2. Impose a financial transaction tax on trades of stocks, bonds, currency, derivatives, and other financial instruments.

    3. Block financial transactions with tax havens, to stop tax evasion.

    4. Enact a wealth tax of 0.5% per year on assets over $5 million.

    Eco-taxes to help save the planet

    1. Establish a system of carbon taxes on all fossil fuels, to begin to reflect the real environmental cost of their extraction and use. Carbon taxes should be applied as far upstream as possible, preferably when possession of the carbon-bearing fuel passes from extraction (for example, coal mine; oil wellhead or tanker; gas wellhead) to the next entity in the supply chain (for example, coal shipper or utility; oil refiner or importer; natural gas pipeline). Offset potential regressivity for lower income individuals via the Green Tax shift that lowers income taxes and/or other approaches.

    2. Eliminate tax subsidies for the oil, gas, nuclear and timber and mining industries.

    3. Enact a Green Tax Shift that shifts from taxing people and work (via income and payroll taxes) to taxing natural resource extraction, use, waste and pollution.

    4. Enact a system of Community Ground Rent/Land Value Taxation that distinguishes between the socially and privately created wealth of land, by increasing the taxes on the former to retain for society the value that it collectively creates and lowers them on the latter to reward individuals for their initiative and work.

    5. To ensure that prices reflect their true environmental cost, enact a system of True Cost Pricing (TCP) for goods and services. TCP is an accounting and pricing system that includes all costs in the price of a product. TCP charges extractive and productive industries for the immediate or prolonged damage (pollution of air and water) and diminishment of natural resources caused by their acts.

    6. Impose a carbon fee on goods imported from nations with lower carbon taxes than in the U.S., based upon the carbon spent in manufacturing and transporting them to the U.S.

    Taxes for a better, healthier America

    1. Simplify the tax code.

    2. Eliminate tax incentives to ship jobs overseas.


    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/5/10

    Cleaner Transportation Provides For New Jobs

    Last week,two reports documented the job creation potential of increased U.S. investments in public transit. The Apollo Alliance has long promoted public transit as a key component of our clean energy agenda, because of its effectiveness in reducing transportation-related oil use and greenhouse gas emissions. Public transit is especially important this year, because the national transportation bill has expired and will need to be re-authorized in the near future. The transportation bill presents a unique opportunity to reexamine U.S. transportation policy with an eye toward the twin goals of cleaner transportation and good jobs.

     
     

    The first report, which was prepared by the Duke University Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) for the Apollo Alliance, focused exclusively on rail transit, which is expected to undergo considerable growth in the coming years, as Amtrak upgrades its railcars and adds high-speed trains, and as lawmakers consider a transportation bill that calls for significantly greater investments in public transit, including rail. It looked at the manufacture of U.S. rail vehicles and their component parts and found that the U.S. rail supply chain includes 247 manufacturing facilities in 35 states.

    "Our research found that while there is already a healthy chain of U.S.-based manufacturing locations that produce components and systems for rail cars, the sector still has plenty of room to grow if the next federal transportation bill prioritizes public transit and rail investments," said Marcy Lowe, a senior research analyst at the CGGC and the report's lead author.

    The states with the most manufacturing facilities-New York (32 rail manufacturing facilities), Pennsylvania (26), Illinois (23), California (22) and Ohio (13)-would reap major benefits from such a bill. "These states have a real chance to be at the center of America's 21st century rail manufacturing industry," said Phil Angelides, chairman of the Apollo Alliance. "Our nation needs a new transportation policy that invests in expanded public transit and more energy-efficient transportation, including rail. Done right, these investments could mean a windfall of rail manufacturing jobs across the country."

    The other public transit report that was released last week backed up the Duke study's finding that increased public transit investments will create more U.S. manufacturing jobs. In a report called The Job Impact of Transportation Reauthorization, the Economic Policy Institute looked at the job creation potential of two different transportation bills funded at the level of $500 billion-one with the current mix of transportation investments and one that invests more heavily in repair and maintenance, public transportation and livable communities. EPI found that the public-transit friendly bill, which is based on a proposal put forward by Transportation for America, would yield 400,000 more jobs over the six-year life of the law, for a total of more than 7.2 million jobs. 761,000 of those jobs would be in manufacturing.

    The analysis also found that the Transportation for America investment strategy would especially benefit those hardest hit by the recession, including low-wage workers and Americans without a college degree. Approximately 80 percent of the new jobs created would be filled by Americans without a four-year degree. The proposal also would create jobs at a higher level of unionization (15 percent) than the overall economy (12 percent).

    "This study shows why America needs a new direction in our transportation policy," said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. "Cleaner and smarter transportation investments will create millions of good-paying, quality jobs and put our nation on a path to a lasting economic recovery."

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/4/10

    The Green Party and Building Local Economies

    Greens support reforms that give communities more control over their own local economies.

    Greens believe in decentralization, and call for for a community-based economics whose aim is local prosperity and self-sufficiency.

    We support local production, local manufacturing, local sales, local recycling wherever and whenever possible. We believe in face-to-face relationships with local business owners and shopkeepers.

    Successful local Green communities nurture everyone of all ages, generate good jobs and housing, and provide public services; creating cities and towns that educate everyone, encourage recreation, and preserve natural and cultural resources; building local governments that protect people from environmental hazards and crime; and motivating citizens to participate in making decisions.

    GREEN SOLUTIONS

    1. Protect local businesses from the predatory practices of chain and “big box” stores.

    2. Support incentives for cooperative enterprises, such as consumer co-ops, workers’ cooperatives, credit unions, incubators, micro-loan funds, and other institutions that help communities develop economic projects.

    3. Allow municipalities to approve or disapprove large economic projects case-by-case based on environmental impacts, local ownership, community reinvestment, wage levels, and working conditions.

    4. Allow communities to set environmental, consumer, human rights, labor, health and safety standards higher than federal or state minimums.

    5. Invest in the commons.

    6. Support local living wage laws.

    7. Establish local currencies such as Time Dollars, Ithaca Hours and BerkShares, to strengthen local economies and meet local needs more effectively and efficiently.

    8. Enact place of origin labeling requirements, to allow consumers to choose food grown near their home.

    9. Enact corporate good character laws, requiring corporations to disclose all violations of law they have committed when applying for a permit. Empower officials to deny permits based on lawlessness or repeat violations of law.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/3/10

    Let's Bring Green Jobs To Ohio Now...Not Later

    Greens want to help millions of Americans obtain a green-collar job that pays a living wage while helping to build a brighter environmental future.

    5 million Green jobs will help us stabilize our national economic crisis and the global climate. Green jobs can conserve energy and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Green jobs are union jobs and created in communities that really need them. Green jobs nourish our communities because they can’t be outsourced overseas cheaply. Green jobs grow local businesses and foster community development.

    GREEN SOLUTIONS

    1. Support massive public investment to create 5 million green jobs in fields such as energy conservation, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green building and the construction of mass transportation.

    2. Create an inclusive program to train workers for the new, clean energy economy.

    3. Prioritize the creation of green jobs in communities of color and low income communities.

    3. Support union organizing at all workplaces.

    4. Adopt a reduced-hour 35 hour work week as a standard.

    5. Establish more federally funded programs for Green jobs development and skills training.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http;//www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/2/10

    The Green Party And Improving Ohio's Agriculture

    Greens support a shift towards organic farming, and ending the use of toxic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

    Our current food system is dominated by agribusiness and unsustainable practices that threaten our health, food security, degrade the environment, destroy communities, and squeeze out family farmers. Our so-called cheap food comes at the expense of the exploitation of our farmers and farmworkers along with the oppression of developing countries, inhumane treatment of animals, pollution of air and water, and degradation of our land.

    There must be a paradigm shift and a reorganization of our agricultural system with a sense of real sustainability, where culture and ecology redefine the economics and where we create new opportunities by granting local access to safe and nutritious food, as well as farming methods that do not degrade the quality of water, soil, and air.

    Green Solutions

    Expanding organic farming

    1. Establish the highest organic standards and reject the routine use of hormones and antibiotics in animal feed.

    2. Shift price supports and government subsidies to organic food products so that they will be competitive with chemically-produced food.

    3. Phase out man-made pesticides and artificial fertilizers, as well as a ban on sewage sludge and hazardous wastes as fertilizers. We promote locally or regionally produced, organic composting systems.

    4. Educate farmers about best practices and support their transition to organic farming.

    Safe, local and organic food for all

    1. Localize our food system and decentralize agriculture lands, production, and distribution. We support the creation of land trusts for much of our farmland and encourage public support for producer and consumer cooperatives, community kitchens, Community Supported Agriculture, urban agriculture, and community farms and gardens.

    2. In the interests of ecological sustainability, public health, non-violence and alleviating hunger, we promote the initiation of public education to encourage people to reduce their consumption of animal foods, including information on healthy vegetarian diets.

    Democratic oversight and consumer power

    1. Phase out all public subsidies to large agribusiness conglomerates and redirect the subsidies to small and medium-sized farms that promote local organic production and sustainable agricultural practices.

    2. Ensure that food prices reflect the true cost of food production, including the health effects of eating processed foods, antibiotic resistance, pesticide effects on growers and consumers, soil erosion, water pollution, pesticide drift, air pollution and the vast inefficiency and ecological footprint involved in the production of animal foods.

    3. Require mandatory, full-disclosure of food and fiber labeling, including products stamped “inspected” by the USDA. Consumers have the right to know the contents of their food and fiber, how they were produced, and where they originated. Labels should address the presence of GMOs, use of irradiation, pesticide application (in production, transport, storage, and retail), and the country of origin.

    Biodiversity and the Environment

    1. Promote the restoration of formerly traditional food crops, as well as innovative farm production methods, such as permaculture, polyculture and terra preta.

    2. Enact a moratorium on irradiated food and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) until safety can be conclusively demonstrated by independent (non-corporate funded), long-term tests for food safety, genetic drift, resistance, soil health, effects on non-target organisms, and cumulative interactions. We support the growing international demand to eliminate patent rights for genetic material, lifeforms, gene-splicing techniques, and biochemicals derived from them.

    3. According to the United Nations’ Livestock’s Long Shadow report, the livestock sector is one of the most significant contributors to our most serious environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Thus, we support a rapid phase out of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) not only because of their adverse impact on the environment, but also on food safety (e.g. disease epidemics), public health, and animal protection.

    4. We support the elimination of public subsidies to finance livestock grazing permits on public lands.

    5. Promote the widespread growth and use of hemp for industrial purposes. Properly grown, hemp has virtually no psychoactive effects when consumed. With a relatively short growth cycle, hemp is an efficient and economically sustainable crop. Hemp seeds are extremely nutritious, one of the best vegetable proteins and hemp fiber has a wide range of uses including paper, wood alternatives, and textiles.

    Denis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    7/1/10

    The Green Party and Cleaning Up Ohio's Environment

    THE GREEN PARTY SOLUTION

    The obvious answer to fossil fuel depletion and climate change is to simply substitute alternative energy sources for oil, natural gas, and coal.

    However, this solution quickly bogs down on two fronts. First, there are no alternative energy sources (renewable or otherwise) capable of supplying energy as cheaply and in such abundance as fossil fuels currently yield in the time that we need them to come online. Second, we have designed and built the infrastructure of our transport, electricity, and food systems – as well as our national building stock – to suit the unique characteristics of oil, natural gas, and coal. Changing to different energy sources will require the redesign of many aspects of those systems.

    The energy transition cannot be accomplished with a minor retrofit of existing energy infrastructure. Just as the fossil fuel economy of today systemically and comprehensively differs from the agrarian economy of 1800, the post-fossil fuel economy of 2050 will profoundly differ from all that we are familiar with now. This difference will be reflected in urban design and land use patterns, food systems, manufacturing and distribution networks, the job market, transportation systems, health care, tourism, and more.

    It could be argued that these changes will occur in some fashion whether we plan for them or not, that it is only necessary to wait for the market price of fossil fuels to reflect scarcity, with higher costs forcing society to adapt. However, lack of government planning will result in a transition that is chaotic, painful, destructive, and possibly (if the worst climate forecasts are realized), unsurvivable. A passive approach to the fossil fuel depletion problem would lead to social, economic, and political costs of unprecedented scope. Bold action is required.

    We need to reduce our overall energy consumption, and restructure our economy to run primarily on renewable energy – and the federal government must lead the way.

    The Green Party calls on the United States to take the following actions, including Requirements for Energy Transition.

    1. Move decisively to an energy system based on wind, solar and geo- thermal power.

    The development of earth-gentle, alternative energy sources must be a cornerstone of any plan to reduce our national reliance on conventional fossil fuels and build a sustainable future. Many alternatives being pushed by policy-makers currently – including nuclear power, coal, industrial-scale biofuels, and low-grade fossil fuels such as oil shale and tar sands – suffer from serious drawbacks, including low energy profit ratios, high environmental impacts, or a limited resource base.

    Greens advocate renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and advanced geothermal as the long-term solution to the nation’s and the world’s energy problems. However, further research is needed into new energy storage technologies, as well as new photovoltaic materials and processes, and new geothermal and tidal power technologies. While much of this could be accomplished by the private sector, the economic crisis is likely to delay or undercut needed funding, increasing the need for government support.

    2. Electrify the transportation system

    America’s existing investment in highways, airports, cars, buses, trucks, and aircraft is enormous. This system is almost completely dependent on oil, and it will be significantly handicapped by higher fuel prices, and devastated by actual fuel shortages. The electrification of road-based vehicles will help; however, this strategy will require at least two decades to fully deploy. Meanwhile, road repair and tire manufacturing will continue to depend upon petroleum products, unless alternative materials can be found.

    Even if it is electrified, a ground transport system consisting of trucks and private automobiles is inherently energy intensive compared to public transit alternatives and non-motorized alternatives. The building and widening of highways must therefore come to a halt, and the bulk of federal transportation funding must be transferred to support electrified and non-motorized infrastructure and services. Meanwhile, the existing fleet of private automobiles must be put to use more efficiently through carpooling, car-sharing, and ride-sharing networks.

    3. Begin the phase-out of nuclear and coal power plants.

    All of the processes associated with nuclear power are dangerous, from the mining of uranium to the transportation and disposal of the radioactive waste. Radioactive waste produced by nuclear power plants will remain toxic to humans for more than 100,000 years, and there is no way to store this waste safely.

    The plain fact is, there are no technological quick fixes that can effectively isolate nuclear waste from the biosphere for the durations of its hazardous life. Therefore, rather than producing more of this waste, it is essential that the generation of nuclear wastes be halted. The enormous and long-lasting health and environmental dangers alone make nuclear power unfeasible. Cost in dollars is another huge factor, with each new nuclear power plant expected to cost at least nine billion dollars.

    Rather than building more nuclear power plants, the Green Party of the United States calls for a moratorium on new nuclear power plants, the early retirement of nuclear power reactors, and the phase-out of technologies that use or produce nuclear waste, such as nuclear waste incinerators, food irradiators, and all commercial and military uses of depleted uranium.

    Coal is particularly damaging to the environment. In the absence of commercially viable “clean coal” carbon capture and sequestration technology, coal is not environmentally sustainable.

    4. Plan for decentralized, bio-regional electricity generation and distribution.

    Regional utility companies are already beginning to invest in renewables and “smart grid” upgrades, but the work is going much too slowly to avert looming power supply problems. Moreover, the credit crunch will likely slow the work that is currently under way.

    Therefore the federal government must step in to set goals and standards and to provide public investment capital. This effort must not favor commercial utilities over municipal power districts; indeed, the devolution of control over power systems to the community level should be encouraged, as decentralized power systems are likely to be more resilient in the face of now-inevitable power disruptions.

    Keeping electricity production close to areas of greatest consumption demand will cut down on losses due to transportation, assure citizens greater control of their power grids, and prevent the massive ecological and social destruction that accompanies production of electricity in distant, mega-scale projects.

    Dennis S. Spisak=Green Party of Ohio nominee for Governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/30/10

    Let's Put an End to Ted Strickland's Dirty Coal And Nuke Plants

    U.S. dependence on and overuse of dirty and dangerous energy sources has generated an unparalleled assault on the global environment and human rights in many nations. In the U.S., low income communities and communities of color bear the greatest burden of health impacts due to exposure to emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants. Native American communities have been devastated by uranium mining, and the poor of Appalachia witness helplessly as their ancient mountains are destroyed for a few years’ worth of coal-fired electricity.

    The regional and global peaks in supply of oil, gas, coal and uranium production are driving up costs of conventional fuels, threatening continued wars and social chaos. To avert this we must move beyond the dirty and dangerous energy sources immediately and invest in only the cleanest, most sustainable energy strategies. We can and must strengthen our conservation and energy efficiency standards. Of highest importance is to use less, then to use wisely, and to have clean production of what is used.

    GREEN SOLUTIONS

    CLEAN RENEWABLES

    1. Support public subsidies for clean renewable energy technologies – technologies that do not create pollution in the course of generating electricity. These can include wind, solar (including solar thermal and concentrating solar), ocean power, geothermal, and small-scale hydro. Since even clean renewable energy can have negative environmental impacts, care must be taken to minimize such impacts. Clean renewable energy does not include nuclear power, any sort of combustion or process in which by-products are ultimately combusted, or hydroelectric dams that block entire rivers.

    2. Federal commitment to the mass-production of cheap, non-toxic solar photovoltaic technology to enable widespread deployment of solar power. To make solar more cost-competitive, we support large-scale government purchases of solar cells for installation on government facilities.

    3. We support efforts of individuals and institutions to voluntarily purchase wind and solar power products through tradable renewable energy certificates. However, there are limits to the volunteer, market-based approach to promoting clean energy. Just as we cannot expect that individual purchases of organic food will cause all food production to become organic, we cannot expect that voluntary approaches will be sufficient to fully replace current energy supplies with clean energy. We support net-metering to make decentralized energy production economically viable.

    4. We support further research to identify more safe, clean renewables and safe energy storage strategies.

    END THE USE OF DIRTY AND DANGEROUS ENERGY SOURCES

    1. Oppose further coal, oil and gas drilling or exploration.

    2. Ban the construction of hydroelectric dams.

    3. Ban mountaintop removal mining.

    4. Stop the development of fuels produced with polluting, energy-intensive processes or from unsustainable or toxic feedstocks, such as genetically-engineered crops, coal and waste streams contaminated with persistent toxics.

    5. Support small and community-scale renewable and biofuels fuel production operations or programs that recover otherwise wasted biomass or utilize clean primary energy sources such as wind and solar.

    NO NUCLEAR POWER

    1. Ban any new construction of nuclear fission power plants

    2. Decommission all existing U.S. nuclear power plants expeditiously

    3. Phase out technologies that use or produce nuclear waste, including non-commercial nuclear reactors, reprocessing facilities, nuclear waste incinerators, food irradiators, and all commercial and military uses of depleted uranium.

    4. Ban plutonium (MOX) fuel, nuclear fuel reprocessing, uranium enrichment, and the manufacturing of new plutonium pits for a new generation of nuclear weapons.

    5. No public subsidies or bailouts for the nuclear power industry.

    CONSERVATION AND EFFICIENCY

    1. Create extensive energy conservation efforts, with a goal of reducing energy consumption by 50% by 2030. (Review amount and time goal)

    2. Decentralize electric grids.

    3. Authorize tax-exempt bonds to finance public ownership of utilities and to allow publicly owned utilities to finance conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy projects.

    4. Enact smart energy utility regulation for generation, transmission and distribution, not deregulation.

    5. Support building codes for new construction that incorporate the best available energy conservation designs. For existing homes and buildings, we support programs to aid in their weatherization and increased energy efficiency.

    6. Support research into advanced fuels when the purpose of the research is to develop a fuel that in its full cycle does not create more problems than it solves.

    PUBLIC CONTROL AND TRANSPARENCY

    1. Support municipal, county-level, and state efforts to regain control over electricity by establishing democratic, public utility systems, to locally coordinate supply and demand and to eliminate energy trading.

    2. Provide ratepayers deserve full disclosure of the specific electric generating facilities used to produce their electricity.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/29/10

    The Green Party Wants Universal Health Care Now-Ted Strickland Wants to Keep The Status Quo

    Greens support single-payer universal health care and preventive care for all.

    Greens believe that a universal, comprehensive, national single-payer health insurance program is the only solution that will control costs, provide high quality care, and cover everyone. We believe that health care is a right, not a privilege.

    Our current health care system kills tens of thousands of people each year by excluding them from care, while its exorbitant cost is crippling our economy. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world without a national health care system.

    Under a universal national single-payer health care system, the administrative waste of private insurance corporations would be redirected to patient care. If the U.S. were to shift to a system of universal coverage and a single payer plan, as in Canada, the savings in administrative costs would be more than enough to offset the cost of additional care. Expenses for businesses currently providing coverage would be reduced. State and local governments would pay less because they would receive reimbursement for services provided to the previously uninsured, and because public programs would cease to be the “dumping ground” for high-risk patients and those rejected by HMOs when they become disabled and unemployed.

    Most importantly, the people of America will gain the peace of mind in knowing that they have health care they need. No longer will people have to worry about the prospect of financial ruin if they become seriously ill, are laid off their jobs, or are injured in an accident.

    Greens want to provide Americans with a wide range of alternative health care services, not just conventional medicine.

    Green Solutions

    Enact a universal, comprehensive, national single-payer health plan that will provide the following with no increase in cost, including:

    1. A publicly funded health care insurance program, administered at the state and local levels;

    2. Lifetime benefits for everyone;

    3. Freedom to choose the type of health care provider, with a wide range of health care choices;

    4. Decision-making in the hands of health providers and their patients;

    5. Comprehensive benefits, as good or better than existing plans, including dental, vision, mental health care, hospice, long-term care, substance abuse treatment and medication coverage;

    6. Participation of all licensed and/or certified health providers, subject to standards of practice in their field;

    7. Portability regardless of geographical location or employment;

    8. Primary and preventive care as priorities, including wellness education about diet, nutrition and exercise;

    9. Greatly reduced paperwork for both patients and providers;

    10. Fair and full reimbursement to providers for their services;

    11. Preservation of all health care services currently available;

    12. Cost controls via streamlined administration, national fee schedules, bulk purchases of drugs and medical equipment, and coordination of capital expenditures. Prices of medications must be publicly negotiated;

    13. Hospitals that can afford safe staffing levels for registered nurses;

    14. Establishment of national, state, and local Health Policy Boards consisting of health consumers and providers to oversee and evaluate the performance of the system, expand access to care, and determine research priorities; and

    15. Establishment of a National Health Trust Fund that would channel all current Federal payments for health care programs directly into the Fund, in addition to employees’ health premium payments.

    16. Holistic health including naturopathy, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, and herbalism.

    17. Medical marijuana

    18. More comprehensive services for those who have special needs: the mentally ill, the handicapped and those who are terminally ill.

    19. A better mental health care system that safeguards human dignity, respects individual autonomy, and protects informed consent.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/28/10

    The Green Party And Ending Poverty In Ohio

    Every Ohioan has the right to food, housing, medical care, jobs that pay a living wage, education, and support in times of hardship.

    Greens believe that support for families, children, the poor and the disabled must not be given grudgingly; it is the right of those presently in need and an investment in our future. We must take an uncompromising position that the care and nurture of children, elders and the disabled are essential to a healthy, peaceful, and sustainable society. We should recognize that the work of their caregivers is of social and economic value, and reward it accordingly. Ensuring that children and their caregivers have access to an adequate, secure standard of living should form the cornerstone of our economic priorities. Only then can we hope to build our future on a foundation of healthy, educated children who are raised in an atmosphere of love and security.

    Green Solutions

    1. Restore federally-funded entitlement program to support children, families, the unemployed, elderly and disabled, with no time limit on benefits.

    2. Establish a graduated supplemental income, or negative income tax, that would maintain all individual adult incomes above the poverty level, regardless of employment or marital status.

    3. Provide massive investments in living-wage job development and work training programs. Publicly-funded work training and education programs should have a goal of increasing employment options at finding living-wage jobs.

    4. Provide public funding for the development of living-wage jobs in community and environmental service, including environmental clean-up, recycling, sustainable agriculture and food production, sustainable forest management, repair and maintenance of public facilities, neighborhood-based public safety, aides in schools, libraries and childcare centers, and construction and renovation of energy-efficient housing. Oppose enterprise zone give-aways which benefit corporations more than inner-city communities.

    5. Enact tax policies to encourage businesses to adopt fair employee wage distribution standards.

    6. Stop forcing welfare recipients to accept jobs that pay less than a living wage. Workfare is a form of indentured servitude.

    7. Require corporations receiving public subsidies to provide jobs that pay a living wage, observe basic workers’ rights, and agree to affirmative action policies.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/27/10

    The Green Party And A Safe Environment For All Ohioans

    Greens believe that no one — including people of color and the poor — should be poisoned nor subjected to harmful levels of toxic chemicals and that no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies.

    Low-income citizens and minorities suffer disproportionately from environmental hazards in the workplace, at home, and in their communities. Inadequate laws, lax enforcement of existing environmental regulations, and weak penalties for infractions undermine environmental protection and civil rights. Environmental justice is the crossroads of environmental activism and the civil rights movement, founded on two fundamental beliefs:

    All people have the right to live, work, learn, and play in safe and healthful environments.

    People have the right to have a say in decisions that affect environmental quality in their communities.

    Greens believe that government must ensure the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

    Green Solutions

    1. Ensure that all people have the right to a clean and healthful environment;

    2. Make pollution prevention (i.e., the elimination of threats before they occur) the preferred strategy for dealing with environmental justice issues; always consider cumulative environmental impacts when evaluating risk

    3. Base decision-making upon the precautionary principle, such that polluters bear the burden of proof in demonstrating the safety of their practices.

    4. Expand the application of the precautionary principle from chemicals-and-health to land-use, waste, energy, food-policy and local economic development. Continue to develop the precautionary approach into an overarching philosophy for community decision-making, combined with the public trust doctrine (which states government’s role is to protect the commons), and the commons (where we must give the benefit of the doubt to public health and the natural environment).

    5. Actively support programs, policies, and activities that build the capacity to identify disproportionate sitings of facilities, discriminatory land use and zoning laws, and to assure nondiscriminatory compliance with all environmental, health and safety laws in order to assure equal protection of the public health.

    6. Ensure procedural justice, ensuring the public right-to-know to make rules and regulations transparent in order for communities to access and participate in the decision-making process

    7. Ensure corrective justice, ensuring the right of communities and agencies to seek redress. Communities and agencies must not be required to show or prove “intent” to discriminate to achieve redress for problems of disproportionate environmental impacts.

    8. Target precautionary and corrective justice actions and resources in communities with the highest concentrations of environmental hazards.


    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www,dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/26/10

    The Green Party For A Better Education In Ohio

    Greens support equal access to high-quality education, and sharp increases in financial aid for college students.

    Ohio will be a great state to the extent that our schools are excellent. Right now, we are abjectly failing this test. We must make major changes.

    Every child deserves a superb public education that fosters critical and independent thought, and provides the breadth and depth of learning necessary to become an active citizen and a constructive member of our society.

    In general, we expect too little from our students, teachers and schools. We must teach our children and teenagers to be leaders, and challenge them with difficult material in literature, philosophy, history, music, art and economics.

    Greens believe in education, not indoctrination. We do not think schools should turn our children into servile students, employees, consumers or citizens. We think it is very important to teach children how to ask good questions.

    Effective schools have sufficient resources. Too many of our teachers are overworked, underpaid, and starved of key materials. We must be more generous to our schools, so that our children will learn what generosity is, and know enough to be able to be generous to us in return.

    Green Solutions

    1. Eliminate gross inequalities in school funding by adjusting educational funding formulas at the state level.

    2. Provide free college tuition to all qualified students at public universities and vocational schools.

    3. Oppose the administration of public schools by private, for-profit entities.

    4. Increase funding for after-school programs for “latchkey” children.

    5. Provide state funding for day care that includes school children under the age of ten when after-school programs are not available.

    6. Give classroom teachers at the elementary and high school levels professional status and salaries comparable to related professions requiring advanced education, training and responsibility.

    7. Purchase and use computers only when they are instructive, and not merely to benefit computer hardware or software companies.

    8. Teach non-violent conflict resolution and humane education at all levels of education.

    9. Encourage a diverse set of educational opportunities, including bi-lingual education, continuing education, job retraining, mentoring and apprenticeship programs.

    10. Prohibit advertising to children in schools. Corporations should not be allowed to use the schools as vehicles for commercial advertising. Schools must safeguard students’ privacy rights and not make private student information available on corporate (or federal government) request.

    11. Provide healthy school meals that are rich in vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber, and offer plant-based vegetarian options. Support Farm-to-School programs that provide food from local family farms and exchange of educational opportunities.

    12. Ban the sale of soda pop and junk food in schools. Junk food is defined as food or beverages that are relatively high in saturated or trans fat, added sugars or salt, and relatively low in vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber.

    13. Oppose military and corporate control over the priorities and topics of university academic research.

    14. Expand opportunities for universal higher education and life-long learning.

    15. Make student loans available to all college students, with forgiveness for graduates who choose public service occupations.

    16. The “No Child Left Behind” Act must be revised, eliminating state-wide norm-referenced standardized testing in favor of criterion-referenced testing while allowing multiple ways for children to show what they have learned from a rich challenging curriculum. The section that gives the military access to student records should be eliminated.

    17. Include a vigorous and engrossing civics curriculum in later elementary and secondary schools, to teach students to be active citizens.

     

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/25/10
     

    The Green Party and Green Jobs For Every Ohio Citizen

    Greens want to help thousands of Ohioans obtain a green-collar job that pays a living wage while helping to build a brighter environmental future.

    Green jobs will help us stabilize our  economic crisis and the global climate. Green jobs can conserve energy and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Green jobs are union jobs and created in communities that really need them. Green jobs nourish our communities because they can’t be outsourced overseas cheaply. Green jobs grow local businesses and foster community development.

    GREEN SOLUTIONS

    1. Support massive public investment to create green jobs in fields such as energy conservation, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green building and the construction of mass transportation.

    2. Create an inclusive program to train workers for the new, clean energy economy.

    3. Prioritize the creation of green jobs in communities of color and low income communities.

    3. Support union organizing at all workplaces.

    4. Adopt a reduced-hour 35 hour work week as a standard.

    5. Establish more federally funded programs for Green jobs development and skills training.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/24/10

    The Green Party On Work And Job Creation

    The Green Party proposes a third alternative to a job or no job dichotomy: that is to provide everyone a sustainable livelihood. The need of our times is for security, not necessarily jobs. We need security in the knowledge that, while markets may fluctuate and jobs may come and go, we are still able to lead a life rooted in dignity and well-being.

    The concept of a “job” is only a few hundred years old; and the artificial dichotomy between “employment” and “unemployment” has become a tool of social leverage for corporate exploiters. This produces a dysfunctional society in various ways: (1) It is used to justify bringing harmful industries to rural communities, such as extensive prison construction and clear cutting of pristine forests. (2) It has been used to pit workers (people needing jobs) against the interests of their own communities. (3) It has created a self-esteem crisis in a large segment of the adult population who have been forced into doing work that is irrelevant, socially harmful, or environmentally unsound.

    We will also promote policies that have job-increasing effects. Many people will still need jobs for their security. We need to counterbalance the decline in jobs caused either by new technology, corporate flight to cheaper labor markets outside our borders, or the disappearance of socially wasteful jobs that will inevitably occur as more and more people embrace a green culture.

    To begin a transition to a system providing sustainable livelihood, we support:

    1. creating alternative, low-consumption communities and living arrangements, including a reinvigorated sustainable homesteading movement in rural areas and voluntary shared housing in urban areas.

    2. Universal health care requiring coverage for all.

    3. The creating and spreading local currencies and barter systems.

    4. Subsidizing technological development of consumer items that would contribute toward economic autonomy, such as renewable energy devices.

    5. Establishing local non-profit development corporations.

    6. Providing people with information about alternatives to jobs.

    Creating Jobs

    For creating jobs we propose:

    7. Reducing taxes on labor. This will make labor more competitive with energy and capital investment. (See Taxation above.)

    8. Solidarity with unions and workers fighting the practice of contracting out tasks to part-time workers in order to avoid paying benefits and to break up unions.

    9. Adopting a reduced-hour (30-35 hours) work week as a standard. This could translate into as many as 26 million new jobs.

    10. Subsidizing renewable energy sources, which directly employ 2 to 5 times as many people for every unit of electricity generated as fossil or nuclear sources yet are cost competitive. Also, retrofit existing buildings for energy conservation and build non-polluting, low impact transportation systems.

    11. Supporting small business by reducing tax, fee and bureaucratic burdens. The majority of new jobs today are created by small businesses. This would cut their failure rate and help them create more jobs.

    12. Opposing the trend toward “bundling” of contracts that minimizes opportunity for small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses.

    13. Reducing consumption to minimize outsourcing – the exportation of jobs to other countries – thus reducing the relative price of using U.S. workers.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/23/10

    What Will Dirty Coal King Ted Strickland Do?

    This July, Green For All is calling for a Dirty Energy Independence Week of Action. As the President pointed out, America is addicted to oil and fossil fuels. It is only fitting that, as we celebrate our nation's freeing itself from Britain, we also move boldly on the next frontier of American independence: independence from dirty, deadly fossil fuels that are polluting our country, compromising our security, and costing Americans their livelihoods.

    What will Dirty Coal Boss Ted Strickland do? Will he join the movement to end our addiction to dirty coal or will he continue to hawk for more and more dirty coal plants to be built in Ohio?

    Considering Ted Strickland is backed through political contributions from dirty coal energy producers such as Duke Energy, First Energy, and Dayton Power and Light, Ted will continue to promote " Burn Coal Baby, Burn!"

    As the Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor, I stand with Green For All.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/22/10

    Why Not Ohio? Virginia Seeks To Lead Drive For Electric Cars

    Virginia seeks to lead drive for electric cars
         

    The state of Virginia announced last week they want to become a leader in the use of electric cars in the country.

    With new electric models set to hit the market this year and next, now is the time to prepare for a time when they are commonplace, said Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton.

    "The states that prepare for them are going to be the states that benefit the most from their availability."

    "We take for granted the infrastructure that's in place to service our gasoline-powered vehicles," Connaughton continued. "But we don't have that type of infrastructure for electric cars."

    Among the numerous factors to be considered are the future availability of charging stations and repair shops and how law enforcement responds to a wreck involving those vehicles, he explained.

    The state of Virginia is positioning itself to be a test market on whether electric cars can be viable outside of large cities like San Francisco and New York that are equipped to support them.

    Why Not Ohio?

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contcat 330-503-1407

    6/21/10

    Why Not Ohio? Let's Block Dirty New Coal Plants

    No new coal plants should be built in Ohio unless and until they can safely capture 100 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.

    Ohio should not build new power plants based on old, dangerous, carbon-spewing technologies. If coal is to play any part of our future energy mix, dramatic breakthroughs in carbon-capturing technology must take place.

    Also, mountaintop removal should be banned. No coal company should be allowed to blow up mountains-destroying America's beauty, poisoning its rivers, and destroying rural communities.

    It's time we break our addiction to dirty coal, before our addiction breaks Ohio.

    Ted Strickland is addiction to dirty coal money from coal supplies and electric companies. Thus, Ted Strickland is addicted to continuing keeping dirty coal in business or Ohio.

    To keep your air safe, to keep your rivers clean, to keep your local communities intact, it's time we elect a truely Green Governor in Ohio.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/20/10

    Why Not Ohio? Let's Invest In Low-Carbon Mass Transportation

    In an era of increasing oil prices, traffic gridlock, and hazardous air quality, it's time Ohio invests in local mass-transit systems, regional and interstate high speed rail, and low carbon means of transportation of both passengers and freight.

    Expanding mass transit and rail infrastructure promises to create thousands of good constrcution jobs for Ohio while expanding transportation choices and strengthening communities across the Buckeye State.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/19/10

    Why Not Ohio? Let's Increase Production Of Renewable Electricity

    Ohio needs to deploy it's abundant renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal . We must grow the market for renewables. We should have an Ohio Governor whose's objective is to drive the price of renewable energy cheaper than traditional fossil-fuel based energy in the market, thus allowing an ending to finanical incentives.

    Ted Strickland won't agree to this. He is backed too much by the dirty coal and nuke industry.

    Renewable electricity creates more than twice as many jobs per unit of energy and per dollar invested than traditional fossil fuel-based electricity.

    And electricity and heat account for more than 30 percent of all U.S. carbon emissions, a figure that can be drastically reduced by turning to low-carbon renewable energy.

    Ted Strickland believes in a future of adding more dirty coal to Ohio's landscape. Ted Strickland thus does not believe in reducing carbon emissions, and thus does not believe you deserve a cleaner Ohio.

    Ted Strickland does not deserve to be Governor after 2010.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/18/10

    We Need an Ohio Governor To Support Green Jobs

    Ted Strickland doesn't and won't. We need a Green Party Governor for Ohio who will lead the way for improving energy efficiency and deploying more renewable technology at a scale that will produce massive demands for skilled labor.

    We must have a Green Party Governor who will push hard for investing in worker training, support employment services, manufacuring extensions, and community development to meet these goals.

    We must use public investment to prime new industries as well as lift people out of poverty. We must connect to people's immediate self-interests and larger moral purposes of creating solutions.

    We must have a Governor who will lead us in neighborhood -level actions, restoring communities with green space and green buildings, restoring bodies with parks and clean air, and restoring families with purpose and paychecks.

    When's the last time you heard Ted Strickland speak in these terms? The answer is never. Ted's talk is not there, thus, Ted's actions are not there as well.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/17/10

    Ted Strickland likes to proclaim that the Ohio economy has turned a corner, but the state's unemployment rate, which was 10.9percent in April, is expected to remain in double digits into 2012, according to Ted Strickland's Council of Economic Advisors.

    The Green Party solution to fixing Ted's unemployment mess is that government must play a key role in creating an inclusive, green economy- by setting standards, spurring innovation, realigning existing investments, and making new investments.

    A Green Party Governor would accelerate growth in 3 ways-regulate conduct by establishing standards, invest money through direct spending and offering incentives, and convene leaders by spurring the formation of new collaborative institutions that solve problems by bringing together public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders.

    Ted Strickland is re-active, not pro-active in solving Ohio's unemployemnt mess. We need a Green Party Governor who will support problem solvers to unemployment-the clean energy producers, green builders, community educators, green-collar workers, and green consumers.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/16/10

    Why Not Ohio? Bring High Speed Rail to Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh

    Instead of Ted Strickland's folly of trying to put the three C's on track, it's time to get behing a high-speed rail plan that is small enough, more doable, and will connect three tech-belt cities: Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh.

     The Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh region needs better passenger rail connections to compete for jobs and economic opportunities: connections that are vital to rebuilding the cities that built America. That message came from the 2010 Regional Learning Network conference: a meeting of key community, government, and business leaders from Cleveland, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh.

    One of the conference’s major topics of discussion, dedicated passenger rail in the Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh (CYP) Corridor, gained significant momentum with many leaders stepping forward to advance the initiative. 

    The outcome is an action plan that advances regional rail, brings service to Youngstown, OH and New Castle, PA, and establishes a regional entity to oversee the initiative. High-speed rail will be the ultimate goal but will be pursued incrementally, starting with improved passenger service on enhanced freight corridors.  This approach ensures usable service comes to the region much more quickly, thereby building demand for high-speed rail once it comes.  It is also a far cost-effective path to rail service that people in the three metros will use.

    Specifics of the plan include: 
    • Restoration of the 1-mile Ravenna Connection, thereby connecting Youngstown to Cleveland and Pittsburgh - vital to improving ridership and advancing regional rail as an economic catalyst.
    • Advocating for interim funding to put more trains on-line, vastly improving passenger rail service and adequately linking the region to Chicago and the Northeast. This plan benefits both passenger and freight customers. Currently, only one late-night train covers the region.

    It's time we have an Ohio Governor get behind a High-Speed rail plan that will greatly improve economic development, something the Three-C plan DOES NOT DO!

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/5/10

    Why Not Ohio? It's Time For A State Bank Of Ohio

    It's time to promote the idea of a state-owned bank for Ohio.

    Modeled after the powerful Non-Partisan League’s state-owned bank in North Dakota, An Ohio state-owned bank could be modeled after the nation’s commercial banks and — relying on the commonly accepted practice of “fractional reserve banking” — could provide fixed-rate mortgages at two percent and credit cards at six percent. The Bank of the State of Ohio, could also provide attractive rates on car loans and other consumer borrowing while offering CD’s yielding a 6 percent return.

    The bank’s profits would help fund the state government in much the same way that the Bank of North Dakota regularly contributes to that state’s budget. In the past decade, the nation’s only state-owned bank plowed nearly $300 million into North Dakota’s treasury.

    Consequently, it’s one of the few states that doesn’t find itself in a fiscal crisis.

    In 2009, North Dakota enjoyed a record $1.3 billion surplus, enabling the state legislature to shift more of the burden for funding education to the state while requiring local governments to cut property taxes by $295 million. In addition, individual taxpayers and businesses received about $100 million in income-tax reductions.

    According to the Wall Street Journal, state lawmakers anticipate a $700 million budget surplus in June 2011, the end of its next budget cycle. With a jobless rate of only 4.4 percent, the state also boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the nation.

    A similar state-owned bank could become the catalyst for an “economic miracle” in recession-ravaged Ohio, a state that experienced thousands of foreclosure filings in 2009. The bank could be instrumental in providing the necessary capital to create jobs for many out-of-work Ohioans.

    Why not Ohio? If the Big 10 can look west to Nebraska for help, surely Ohio state government could look west to North Dakota for help.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more information, contact 330-503-1407

    6/14/10

    Why Ohio? Ted Strickland Protects Coal Industry And Not Communities

    Coal ash is toxic.

    Communities near the approximately 2,000 coal ash sites scattered across the country face a heightened risk of cancer, learning disabilities, birth defects and other illnesses due to the hazardous materials -- including arsenic, lead and mercury -- that seep into our drinking water.

    Yet the industry and Ted Strickland would have us believe coal ash is as safe as regular dirt!

    As the Green Party Nominee for Governor,
    we need strong EPA safeguards to protect our health and environment.

    The EPA is taking a stand against King Coal by proposing the first ever federally enforceable regulations for coal ash, but coal companies and Ted Strickland are fighting back, pushing for weaker safeguards and winning support from key legislators.

    In January, the National Governors Association sent an inaccurate and misleading letter -- based on outdated studies that don't reflect the latest science -- to the EPA and members of Congress denying the hazards of coal ash and urging the EPA to maintain the current system, an inadequate patchwork of state level protections.

    The next Ohio Governor should protect communities, not the coal industry, by supporting strong, federally enforceable coal ash regulations. Ted Strickland is NOT THAT GOVERNOR!

    If the BP oil disaster and the Tennessee coal ash tragedy taught us anything, it's that we can't just take the polluter's word for it anymore.

    It's time to stand up to the coal industry's lies and break free of the last century's dirty, dangerous, and deadly energy technology.

    Don't let Ted Strickland stand in the way of critical protections against coal ash -- send a message today ! Vote for the Green Party of Ohio this November!

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

     

    6/13/10

    Let's Use Tax Incentives And Grants For Alternative Energy

    It's time Ohio uses tax cuts, tax credits, and grants for solar, wind,water, and other alternative green energy sources.

    Tax Credits should not be given for dirty coal and nukes like Ted Strickland is supporting.

    We can no longer build a state on liquefied fossils and then think it will last forever.

    We must move to make Ohio energy independent and to convert our centralized electric grids into more efficient and locally owned sources of power generation.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/12/10

    A Green Party Governor Will Clean Up Ohio's Environment, Ted Strickland Won't

    It's time we realize we cannot afford to continue to poison our Ohio waterways and air.

    Ted Strickland never talks about cleaning up Ohio. He continues to talk about adding more dirty coal plants to Ohio, adding more dirty nuke plants to Ohio, and adding more construction junkyards to Ohio.

    Ted Strickland won't clean up Ohio because corporate lobbyists have bought and control Ted Strickland. Yet Ted Strickland will stand up and tell you that these dirty coal and nuke industries are deserving of support and by supporting them is a positive political vrtue.

    It's time that a Green party Governor for Ohio and the people of Ohio take back the commons of our air and water, and the first step is to reject corporate participation in politics.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/11/10

    A Green Party Governor: Bring Back The Middle Class To Ohio

    It's time we return Ohio to the more steeply progressive tax rates that led to the creation of the American middle class in the era of 1947-1980. This will be good for Ohio, and good for corporate Ohio as well.

    People living on the edge of existence shouldn't pay taxes on the necessities of life. On the other hand, those who have accumulated so much wealth should be subject to substantial taxation.

    In Sweden, they have a most vital middle class and highest quality of life. CEO's earn 13 times as much as their average blue-collar workers. In The U.S., the aveage CEO makes 411 times as much as the aveage worker.

    The simple reality is that they are not working as hard as 411 people all at the same time nor are they 411 smarter than their fellow workers.

    America was created in response against aristocracy. We must bring back the middle class by resoring the tax laws that created it.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more information, contact 330-503-1407

    6/10/10

    The Green Party Way of Strengthening The Social Safety Net

    The best way to lead Ohioans out of poverty in the 21st century is to ensure that we have a strong middle class with an abundance of well-paying jobs and high levels of worker security. We must have government authorizing the existence of corporations and providing for their security and at the same time authorizing the existence of labor unions and guaranteeing their security.

    When organized capital and organized labor have relatively equal levels of power, society stabilizes, as we saw from the 1940's to 1970's, the golden age of the middle class.

    When government tilts the scales in favor of business and corporations, we see  job secuirty vanish, wages drop, corporate profits soar, and corporate corruption runs rampant.

    A Green Party of Ohio Governor would see that labor is given the same authorities and limitations that business has to organize, negotiate, and fully participate in the marketplace.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.org

    For more information, contact 330-503-1407

    6/9/10

    Thanks to Dirty Coal and Ted Strickland, EPA Puts Ohio On Notice To Reduce Sulfur Dioxide

    Thanks to Ted Strickland and his love of dirty coal, five Ohio counties have too much sulfur-dioxide pollution, according to a new federal health standard that will force the state to look for ways to reduce the amount of toxin.

    The standard, among new rules announced last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, also calls for a new strategy to detect the pollutant in urban areas.

    The compound, emitted by coal-burning power plants along with cars, trucks and factories that use large furnaces, can irritate lung tissue and trigger asthma attacks. It's also a key ingredient in smog, soot and acid rain.

    The U.S. EPA estimates the air in Belmont, Columbiana, Jefferson, Meigs and Morgan counties fails the new standard, which calls for no more than 75 parts of sulfur dioxide per billion parts of air.

    Ohio EPA officials said it's too soon to say what must be done to clear the air in those counties. They have until 2014 to come up with a plan, which could call for tougher air-pollution limits at power plants and factories.

    The Ohio counties either have coal-burning power plants or steel mills or are close to them. Morgan County, for example is downwind of American Electric Power's Muskingum plant.

    And Ted Strickland wants to build a coal to liquid fuel plant in Columbiana County.  And Ted Strickland also backed the building of another coal plant in Meigs County last year.  Does Ted Strickland really care about your health and your family's health?

    Yup, Ted Strickland is one Green Governor.....

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6/8/10

    Let's Require a Living Wage in Ohio

    The Green Party of Ohio believes in a living wage for all Ohioans. One of our core liberal ideas-which helped build the middle class-was the notion that workers should earn enough to participate fully in society.

    A well-payed labor force will become a market for Ohio goods. Business does not require low-wages for success.

    Conservatives like the Democrats and Republicans believe if corporations get cheap labor, it means cheaper goods for you and me. Not so. Did Nike shoes become cheaper when they moved operations overseas during the 1980's and 1990s? I think not.

    Labor is only a small part of the cost of most products, and when conservative business owners drive down the cost of labor, they usually keep the difference for themselves.

    It's time to reinvest in Ohio workers with a living wage.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more information, contact 330-503-1407

    6/7/10

    Let's Provide Health Care For All

    The Green Party of Ohio supports single-payer health care for all Ohioans.

    We believe in a health care system itself that is private, and you can choose any doctor, hospital, or pharmacy. Government pays the bills directly to whomever you chose to provide you with health care. The only losers would be the insurance companies and Ted Strickland, who supports them, fastening themselves onto our backs like giant leeches.

    Why should America and Ohio rank 54th in the world in fairness of access to health care and drive a half-million families a year into the desperation of bankruptcy with medical expenses? We can do better.

    The health insurance and HMO industry spends thousands of dollars to keep Ted Strickland, Democrats, and Republicans under their thumbs and us in the dark.

    We can do better. By voting for the Green Party of Ohio this November.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more information, contact 330-503-1407

    6/6/10

    A Free High-Quality Public Education For Ohio

    The Green Party of Ohio advocates for a free public education-one for producing mobility between economic classes. In those nations where any child can attend school with no costs to him or his family do we see the smallest differences between rich and poor, and the least rigidity of the remnants of class systems.

    A free public education is a key to the survival of Ohio. We must bring into acttion that mass of talents which lies buried in poverty. And we can do so by providing quality free education.

    We must put a full education back into the reach of all our citizens.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more information, contact 330-503-1407

    6/5/10

    A Green Party Philosophy for Ohio

    The Green Party of Ohio believes in the following philosophy for Ohio, a philosophy lost on the Democrats and Republicans:

    A Stronger Ohio: greater strength in our economy, our education system, our health care system, our families, our communities, and our environment.

    Broad Prosperity: for all Ohioans, completely free.

    Better Future: in all areas of life, economically, educationally, and environmentally.

    Effective Government: eliminate waste

    Mutual Responsibility: best values of families and communities. Authoritative, equal, two-way, based around caring, responsibility, and strength.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more information, contact 330-503-1407

    6/4/10

    Green Party Progressive Directions

    The Green Party of Ohio wants to move the Buckeye State in the following progressive directions in 2010:

    The economy: Centered on innovation that creates good-paying jobs and provides every Ohioan a fair opportunity to prosper.

    Health: Every Ohioan should have access to a state-of-the art, affordable health care system.

    Education: A vibrant, well-funded, and expanding public education system with the highest standards for every child and school. We also support early childhood education.

    Environment: A clean, healthy, and safe enviroment for ourselves and our children: water you can drink and air you can breathe. Polluters pay for the damage they cause.

    Energy: We need to make a major investment in renewable energy for the jobs it will create, independence from Middle Eastern oil, improvements in public health, preservation of the environment, and the effort to halt global warming.

    Equal Rights: We support equal rights in every area involving race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.

    Protections: We support keeping and extending protections for consumers, workers, retirees, and investors.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more information, contact 330-503-1407

    6/3/10
     

    Why Not Ohio? Massachusetts Goes More Solar

    The roof of National Grid's distribution center in Northbridge, Massachusetts is covered with about 4,700 solar panels, making it the largest solar-generating facility in the state and the first such project to be owned by a utility.The rooftop array - capable of producing about a megawatt of electricity, or enough to power 200 homes - was built mostly with Massachusetts technology and expertise.``It's all good work for all the right reasons,'' said Michael Monahan, business manager for Local 103 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union, whose members worked on the project. The Cambridge consulting firm Zapotec Energy Inc. (NYSE:EGAS) was also involved, as was the renewable-energy developer Nexamp Inc. of North And over. The panels were made by Marlborough-based Evergreen Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:ESLR) ``These are projects that a utility is in a good position to take ownership of and build,'' said Dan Leary, Nexamp's president. "They own the electrical infrastructure.''This week, the panels will begin converting sunlight into power, said Ed White, a National Grid vice president. The company also is moving forward with solar projects in Dorchester, Everett, Haverhill, and Revere that will provide an additional 4 megawatts of electricity-generating capacity, possibly by the end of the year.

     Western Massachusetts Electric Co. is also looking to build solar projects, according to documents filed with the state Department of Public Utilities, and has received approval. Having more renewable energy available to customers - especially electricity generated locally - is a goal of Governor Deval Patrick, who wants Massachusetts to have 250 megawatts of solar power generating capacity by 2017. Currently, it has 28.1 megawatts, with more than 30 megawatts in the pipeline.The electricity from National Grid's project is expected to eliminate about 1.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually, the equivalent of removing 400 cars from the roads.The project is expected to cost less than the $6.5 million originally estimated, White said. Since 2008, when National Grid filed plans to build solar facilities, panel prices have dropped. Customers will pay about a penny a month more for the facility over two decades.

    Why not Ohio? Is It because Ted Strickland and his energy companies still like to import  dirty coal into Ohio which pollutes our rivers and air?

    I believe so. Ohio will never be truely green with Dirty Coal Ted Strickland in charge of the state.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more information, contact 330-503-1407

    6/2/10

    A Green State Government For A Better Future

    A Green Party Government does what Ohio's future requires and what the public sector cannot do-or is not doing-effectively, ethically, or not at all. It is the job of the government to promote, and, if possible, provide protection, greater democracy, more freedom, a cleaner enviroment, broader prosperity, better health, and the building and maintaining of public infrastructure.

    This is the principle that the Green Party of Ohio is running on in this year's election.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    6//10

    The Green Party of Ohio's Progressive Vision

    We picture an Ohio where people care about each other, not just themselves, and act responsibly with strength and effectiveness for each other.

    We want to protect Ohioans, we want them to propser, and we want them to be treated fairly.

    There is no fulfillment without freedom, no freedom without opportunity, and no opprtunity without prosperity.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    Clean Energy Solutions Can Boost Ohio's Energy Independence

    Ohio relies on coal to produce 85% of it's electricity it generates, Ohio spent the fifth most on net coal imports at 1.49 billion a year and imported the 6th most coal in the U.S. at 32.7 million tons. Investing in energy efficiency is one of the quickest and most affordable ways to replace coal-fired power while boosting the local economy. Yet Ohio spent just $2.51 per person on ratepayer-funded electricity effiency programs in 2007- about 51 times less than it spent to import coal.

    Ohio has the technical potential to generate 1.3 times its electricity demand from renewable energy, led primarily by wind, solar, and bioenergy.

    It's time Ohio has a governor who will make the firm choice to become energy independent from coal-fired plants, sometime Ted Strickland and his dirty coal lobbyists will not do.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/30/10

    Ohio's Dependence on Imported Coal

    The Union of Concerned Scientists reported last week that the

    cost of importing coal is a major drain on the

    economies of many states that rely heavily on coalfired

    power. Thirty-eight states were net importers of

    coal in 2008, from other states and, increasingly, other nations.

    Burning Coal, Burning Cash ranks the states that are the

    most dependent on imported coal. This fact sheet shows the

    scale of this annual drain on Ohio ratepayers, and discusses

    ways to keep more of that money in-state through investments

    in energy efficiency and homegrown renewable energy.

    Ohio imported nearly three-quarters of the coal its power

    plants used in 2008—some from as far away as Montana and

    Wyoming. To pay for those imports, Ohio sent $1.87 billion

    out of state. In-state mines supplied the rest of Ohio’s coal

    and also exported coal worth $381 million to other states.

    The state spent a net $1.49 billion on imported coal.

    First Energy Generation, Ohio’s second-largest provider

    of electricity services, purchased $570 million in coal imports—

    30 percent of the state’s gross total, and more than

    any other power producer in the state. First Energy’s W.H.

    Sammis plant, in Stratton, spent $291 million on coal imports—

    more than any other power plant in Ohio. The plant

    is the twenty-first-largest source of carbon dioxide emissions

    (the main cause of global warming) among hundreds of coal

    plants nationwide.

    As the Green Party of Ohio nominee for Governor, I say the cost of importing coal is a drain on Ohio's economy. Investments in renewable energy can help stimulate the economy by redirecting funds into local economic development-funds that would otherwise leave the state.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more information, contact 330-503-1407

    5/29/10

    Why Not Ohio? Because Ted Strickland Is Committed To A Dirty Environment

    As long as Ted Strickland backs dirty coal and nuke power for Ohio, our families will have dirty water, dirty air, and no real means of gaining progressive employment in the ever-growing clean green energy world.

    As long as Ted Strickland supports dirty coal and nukes, we will not see jobs created.

    We will not see less air pollution and less childhood asthma.

    We will not have clean environments and homes.

    We will still be dependent on Middle Eastern oil.

    Clean, green energy is not just about energy. it's about jobs, health, clean air and water, global warming, and foreign policy. Issues that all Ohioans care about. Issues that Ted Strickland will not try and solve as long as he is a slave to dirty coal and nuke lobbyists.

    Ohioans deserve a Governor who will champion their fight for a cleaner world and a world of more jobs and economic growth, not a slave or puppet to dirty coal and nukes.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/28/10

    Ohio Needs The Progressive Values Of the Green Party

    This year's Governor's race in Ohio comes down to what values are important to you and your children. Ohio needs the progressive values of the Green Party of Ohio to move Ohio forward in a positive direction after November 2nd.

    Ohioans want progressive values that focus on environmental protection, worker protection, consumer protection, and protection from disease.

    There must be opportunity and prosperity for all Ohioans.

    Our children and our parents must be treated with fairness by others.

    We must have community-building and cooperation between communities.

    The Green Party of Ohio holds those values that will help you and your family prosper in the future. We are the party of hope to those oppressed by a current system run by Democrats and Republicans. The Green Party is the only party interested in building foundations to help as many people as possible. Helping people, not corporations, is the right thing to do.


    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/27/10

    Why Not Ohio? Just Say No To Vouchers

    The Green Party of Ohio does not believe in a voucher system to support private schools. We believe in funding a good public education system.

    While the Republicans and to an extend the Democrats support a voucher system here in Ohio, what we are setting Ohio up for is a system where the wealthy will have good schools-paid for in part by what used to be tax payments to public schools. By continuing this voucher system, the poor will not have money for good schools. We will end up with a two-tier school system-a good one for the deserving rich and a bad one for the undeserving poor.

    It's time to end vouchers-time to invest in public schools again like we used to. It's time we had a Green Party Governor to just say no to vouchers!

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/26/10

    Taxes: Your User Fee In Ohio

    Unlike the Democrats and Republicans, the Green Party of Ohio knows that taxation is paying your dues, paying your membership in Ohio. If you join a country club or rec center, you pay fees. You did not build the swimming pool. You have to maintain it. You did not build the tennis courts. Someone else has to maintain it or it will fall apart.

    People who avoid paying taxes, like corporations that move out of the country and state, are not paying their dues. It is patriotic to be a taxpayer. It is traitorus to desert our country and not pay your taxes.

    Taxpayer investments have also supported companies and wealthy investors. The wealthy have gotten rich using what taxpayers have paid for. They owe the taxpayers of this country a great deal and should be paying it back: to help Ohio families maintain coummunities, schools, and the environment.

    Taxes: the user fee we need to support to keep Ohio a great state in the nation.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/25/10

    Taxes Are An Investment in Ohio

    Unlike the Democrats and Republicans, the Green Party of Ohio believes that taxes are an investment in Ohio and it's people. Our parents invested in the future, ours as well as theirs, through their taxes. They invested their tax money in the interstate highway system, scientific and medical establishments, communications systems, and the space program. They invested in the future, and we are reaping the tax benefits, the benefits from the taxes they paid. Today we have assets-highways,schools and colleges, the Internet-that come from wise investments they made.

    We must continue the investment. We can no longer think about discountinuing this investment in Ohio, it's people, or our future.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

     

    5/24/10

    Tax Cuts Will Harm Ohio Families

    John Kasich's tax cuts will harm Ohio families. By cutting taxes, John Kasich will make sure there is not enough money in the budget for any of the state's social programs. Not enough money for the homeless, disabled, schools, education, or environmental protection.

    We need taxes for Ohio families. We need taxes to live in a civilied society.

    We need taxes to have democracy and opportunity.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info,ontact 330-503-1407

    5/23/10

    Green Collar Jobs And Job Growth

    Green Collar Jobs can grow an inclusive sustainable economy by developing education and job-training programs that improve social equity and provides pathways out of poverty for Ohioans while strengthening the middle class by equipping workers for high-demand jobs in the green economy.

    This will also strengthen and make further progress on our stated commitment to improving Ohio's environment in ways that grow both the green economy and gree-collar jobs locally.

    We can build on climate and environmental commitments to create market demand for green products, services, skilled workers, and create more propserous local economies.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/22/10

    Green Collars Jobs As A Central Stategy

    We in Ohio must see that green collar jobs are a central strategy for advancing environmental, economic, and climate protection goals.

    Green collar jobs will provide pathways to prosperity for all workers and offer comptetive salaries while leading to a lasting career track. This will help strengthen our middle class.

    Green Jobs will also emphasize community-based investments that cannot be outsourced and contribute directly to preserving and enhancing environmental quality.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/21/10

    We Need Green Technology To Power Ohio In The Future

    By electing a Green Party Governor to Ohio, Ohioans would be sending a message that we want a clean-technology revolution in Ohio and a transformation of our aging energy infrastructure to become the next great engines for green energy innovation, productivity, job growth, and social-equity gains.

    Our nation has always prospered when we invested in innovative technology in the past: from rural electification, the transcontinential railroad and interstate highway systems, telecommunications, and the Internet.

    Bold Green Public Leadership will provide incentives for scientific inquiry, new technology, and an infrastructure that will allow the private sector to flourish while building up the middle class.

    Building a green clean energy economy will generate hundreads of billions of dollars of productive new investments.

    This is a vision Ted Strickland can't seem to comprehend. This is why Ted Strickland remains fixed to dirty coal and nukes as his "green energy plan."

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/20/10

    The Green Party: Equal Protection and Equal Opprtunity For All Ohioans

    The difference between the Green party of Ohio and the Democrats this election year is the straight fact that the Green Party of Ohio believes in equal protection and equal opportunity for all Ohioans, principles the Democrats have long abandoned.

    For the most vulnerable in Ohio, The Green Party has a duty to do two things: minimize their pain and maximize their gain. On good days, we do not leave anyone out. On bad days, we do not leave anyone behind.

    The Green Party of Ohio does not accept a state where people of color and low-income people are always first in line for everything bad and then left to benefit last and least when it comes to anything good.

    All Ohioans must be allowed to share equitably in the benefits and the burdens of moving to a more survivable green economic system. This is how Ohio will be a better place under Green Party political leadership.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/19/10

    Why Ohio Needs A Green Economy To Help Ohioans

    Ohio needs a Green Party Governor who will push Ohio into a Green Economy where ordinary people can earn money. The only part of the U.S. economy that is growing, and can grow long-term, is green. New green products, services, and technologies can help struggling communities. The possibility of new green-collar jobs offers a chance to improve community health and opportunities to build wealth in a sustainable way.

    Ordinary people have a chance to dignified and meaningful employement, have a chance to become inventors, investors, owners, entrepreneurs, and employers in a green economy.

    A Green Economy can bring new green-colar jobs and businesses to former brownfields, depressed urban areas, and hard-hit rural towns.

    A Green Economy can bring hope, optimism, and opportunity to inspire and energize people of all races and classes.

    We need this broad, populist movement. And we need a Green Party Governor to lead it.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    Why Ohio Needs Green Collar Jobs

    The Key to restarting Ohio's economy is by providing green collar jobs. Green collar jobs are those jobs that are family-supporting, a career track job that directly contributes to preserving or enhancing environmental quality. Green collar jobs range from low-skill entry-level jobs to high-skill jobs.

    Green collar jobs will be good jobs. Jobs that can pay family wages and provide opportunity along a career track of increasing skills and pay. Most green collar jobs are middle-skilled jobs, with reach of lower-skilled and lower-income workers as long as they have access to training programs and appropriate supports.

    Green jobs can be installing solar panels, retrofitting buildings, erecting wind turbines, repairing hybrid cars, building green rooftops, planting trees, constructing transit lines, and so much more.

    Green collar jobs are an opportunity to create a better economy and a better state all around. We have the chance to create new markets, new technology, new industries, and a new workforce.

    I say, let's bring green jobs to Ohio that will provide good wages, equal opportunity, and pathways of success for those left behind.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/17/10

    Burning Coal Is Dirty Business, Ted

    Clean Coal is an oxymoron, the technology for it does not exist. Burning and mining coal are the two dirtiest activities happening in Ohio, both back wholeheartedly by Ted Strickland.

    Ted Strickland believes we can pump all of carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants into big holes in the ground. It's not an option. No earth-born container is guaranteed forever.

    Ted Strickland believes we can have clean coal by turning it into liquid fuel. However, with this process you have double the carbon dioxide emissions:first during production, and again from the tailpipe of cars or jets.

    The bottom line is, there is no clean way to burn coal. This is of no concern to Ted Strickland, who believes Ohio should continue to burn coal, and tons of it.

    When will Ted Strickland wake up and smell the clean air? Can't say. Since Ted Strickland is controlled by dirty coal-firing electric power companies who pour thousands of dollars into his campaign, Ted will continue to embrace burning dirty coal in Ohio. And for Ohio, our environment, and our children, this is a sad state of affairs.

    As a Green Party Governor, I would call for an immediate turn to clean green energy. I would call for a start to a massive build-up of clean green energy technology for Ohio, a "New Green Deal". We need to push far greater then we currently are for solar and wind power development in Ohio. This will be my goal, and my plan.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/16/10

    Why Not Ohio? Brownfields for Solar and Wind Power Sites

    As the Green Party Nominee for Governor, I propose using Ohio's many industrial brownfields as sites fior new solar and wind farms for the Buckeye State.

    Brownfields have become an attractive option for renewable-energy projects like solar and wind. Among about 15 million acres of polluted land in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency has identified 11,000 sites as ripe for renewables. These include brownfields, abandoned mines, federal facilities and Superfund sites, which are properties the government has designated as some of the most contaminated in the U.S.

    The EPA has pegged the sites for potential uses like wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and landfill-produced methane, and is working with other agencies, local governments, developers and utilities to promote projects.

    Among the advantages: Brownfield land is cheap, often abandoned, close to such necessary infrastructure as power lines, roads and water, and is often properly zoned. Population centers, and hence available labor, also tend to be nearby.

    When zoning and infrastructure are already in place, it speeds up the permitting process, which is often the largest risk in project development. With renewables, it makes sense to avoid undeveloped land. Wind turbines, for example, which some consider eyesores, tend to meet less opposition when the proposed site has been polluted. The EPA also helps with cleanup costs.

    While the overall cost of each cleanup depends on the site, the combination of EPA subsidies and discounted land prices often make it worthwhile for the projects to proceed. But there can still be drawbacks. Performing required assessments takes time. Renewable companies also need to be careful they don't penetrate the cap that often sits under 18 inches of soil and protects the outside world from the contamination underneath.

    We have the Brownfields, so let's use them now!

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/15/10

    A Green Party Way of Improving Ohio

    New Conditions impose new requirements upon government and those who conduct government. The Democrats and Ted Strickland will continue to operate in their fail ways of the past four years if re-elected this November. That is why we need a Green Party Governor and leadership to move Ohio forward.

    We need a green government that owes to every man an avenue to work, a right to own property, and a right to health care.

    We must see that purchasing power is well distributed throughout every group int his state. We need to see wages restored and unemployment aided, and farmers brought back to their level of prosperity. We need to create opportunity once more in this great state.

    We must have government leadership that believes in change and progress. We must have a state government for the benefit of the many, not the benefit of the few.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/14/10

    If Your Health Care is Poor, Thank Ted Strickland

    If you suffer from no health care or poor health care coverage, thank Ted Strickland. Ted Strickland believes in the status quo. Ted Strickland believes in keeping the current insurance companies in business in Ohio and believes in keeping the current insurance coverage you currently have, if you have any at all. See, Ted Strickland takes huge campaign contributions from Aetna and Medical Mutual, so Ted has to make sure these insurance companies stay in business. 


    How else does Ted Strickland regulate your health coverage? Well, because under the current system, most employers offer only one or two health plans, so it is frequently the case that employers, not patients, determine the choice of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. Your employers are forced to take whatever plan Ted Strickland and his insurance donors will provide. Sounds like a pretty good racket, eh?

    That's why I call for the Health Care for All Ohioans Act, legislation that is simplicity, inclusiveness (everyone is in, no one is left out), offers breadth of service, equality, preservation of the current private delivery system, and, perhaps most of all, affordability. Multiple state and federal studies show that by eliminating the overhead associated with private insurance and negotiating prices with drug companies, it is possible to offer lifetime coverage to everyone in the country for an amount similar to that which we currently pay for coverage of only part of our population

    Health insurance would be uncoupled from employment, so that individuals who lost or changed jobs would keep the same coverage, regardless of age, preexisting conditions, or state of residence. No one would be without health insurance, accomplishing in the simplest way possible the overall goal of health reform--improving access to health care for all Americans.

    Patients would be free to choose any physician or hospital in the country, as opposed to the current system, in which patient choice is frequently limited to providers within the various health plan networks. Providers of patient care would see significant reductions in paperwork, having to interact with only one health plan instead of the seemingly endless number of plans and subplans with which we now deal.

    For improved health care, vote Green this November. For continued poor health care in Ohio, Vote for Ted Strickland.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/13/10

    The Green Party Supports Single Payer Health Care, Why Not Ted Strickland?

    The Green Party of Ohio supports the Health Care for All Ohians Act, a single-payer health care plan for the Buckeye State. Why doesn't Ted Strickland?

    Why Ted? Did the $18,000 campaign donation from Aetna have something to do with it? WHY DO YOU SUPPORT A SYSTEM THAT produces enormous waste? Of every health care dollar spent in the United States, 31 cents is spent on administration (more than double that of other industrialized nations).  Consider the disturbing fact that 62 percent of all personal bankruptcies are related to medical bills. More astonishing is the fact that 77 percent of Americans who go bankrupt because of medical bills had insurance when they became ill. Because it is a business, private insurance has, at its core, the bottom line. The only way to succeed is to selectively recruit healthy patients or to deny coverage to patients when they become sick. Only under single-payer can we eliminate the administrative costs associated with billing hundreds of payers and the sizeable overhead of the private insurance industry. These overhead dollars are spent marketing, underwriting, lobbying, and fighting claims—none of which makes our patients healthier. Elimination of this administrative waste would save more than $400 billion annually.

    Why are you against saving Ohioans money, Ted? Why don't you speak up for single-payer health care? Did the $10,000 from Medical Mutual make you bite your tongue? Ample evidence, including studies by the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office, shows single-payer can assure universal coverage while saving money. For those who suggest we would lose choice under a single-payer system, we ask, choice of what? Choice of insurance plan—yes. Choice of doctor and hospital—no. A high-quality system is not one in which our patients choose their insurance plan but one in which they choose their doctor. Single-payer is the only reform option that actually expands choice.

    For those who say single-payer is socialized medicine and worry that government bureaucrats will suddenly begin making health care decisions, they need to remember that single-payer is publicly financed but privately delivered. Medical decisions should be made by patients and doctors.

    Given the magnitude of these difficult economic times, it is high time to reconsider the most fiscally conservative and financially sustainable option for reform—a single-payer system. That's why I support the single-payer option for Ohio. Ted Strickland and his insurance buddies don't.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/12/10

    Will Ted Strickland Continue To Pollute Ohio's Water?

    Last year, The Ohio EPA released study results on Ohio's CCD landfills, concluding that liquid watse from these landfills DO pose serious threats to groundwater, the environment, and public health. Arsenic, lead, and other toxins are poisoning our groundwater.

    This past February, Governor Strickland was asked and urged to issue a statewide moratorium on dumping any potentially contaminated waste into our landfills.

    Ted Strickland has yet to act!

    Waste from construction and demolition sites continue to be dumped into Ohio's landfills. 

    Ted Strickland has been told we expect safe groundwater for our communities. Yet Ted Strickland refuses to act.

    Is Ted Strickland the Green Governor we are led to believe? I think not.

    Is Ted Strickland the Governor controlled by dirty polluters? It seems so.

    As Governor, I would call for a halt to dumping immediately. Ted Strickland

    says "Dump, Baby, Dump". Can we really afford 4 more years of Ted

    Strickland protecting our environment?

     

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/11/10

    A Green Progressive Way to Cut Ohio's Budget

    Last week it was reported the total state revenues came in $282 million below estimates last month, putting Ohio $742 million - or 3.5 percent - below projections for the fiscal year to date. If budget cuts are needed, no doubt Ted Strickland will again take his meat ax approach, where budget requests across the board are reduced by a fixed percentage. Again, Ted Strickland will fail to recognize such an approach will have a disproportionate burden on programs that are smaller and will suffer because they have less ability to make meaningful savings.

    It's time Ohio has a Green Progressive approach to budget cutting. I call for an agency by agency analysis; a review based on past agency spending, budget hearings, and budget requests. This will be a more reasonable approach to assessing an agency's budgeting needs. It will rely on the monitoring of the agency. This type of analysis can be quite objective.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/1010

    Just Say No to Liquid Coal and Ted Strickland

    Ted Strickland backs the dirty coal to liquid fuel plant in Wellsville, Ohio.

    I believe our public officials should support clean energy, not dirty coal. Because we want the robust economy and environment that investing in clean energy jobs will bring. Not dirty coal, like Ted Strickland believes in.

    The proposed Baard Energy liquid coal plant would take 20,000 tons of coal per day and process it into liquid transportation fuel. Baard's allies have been writing to the Department of Energy to say the only way the project can move forward is with federal assistance.

    The fact is, even Wall Street doesn't want to invest in liquid coal. That's why Baard has failed to raise enough money from the private sector.Our tax money shouldn’t be a lifeline for failing, dirty energy projects

    I believe this is a project that is not worthy of the Department of Energy's (DOE) support.

    Baard officials have repeatedly made grandiose public claims that don't stand up to scrutiny. They have made no legally binding commitment to control carbon emissions, and indeed the lifecycle emissions of the facility as permitted could reach 26 million tons of CO2 every year. In addition, Baard is now being sued in federal court for failure to pay its contractors' fees. Baard even claimed to have received a $2 billion DOE loan guarantee -- before subsequently withdrawing empty-handed from the loan guarantee program.

    The private sector seems to be wholly unconvinced of the wisdom of investing in liquid coal, pending a future carbon regime and other regulatory costs associated with coal. Why should taxpayers take on risk that even Wall St. is avoiding? Make no mistake: we in Ohio want investment in clean energy technology that will stimulate our economy, create jobs and help prevent the worst of global warming. We are grateful for the Obama administration's strong leadership on clean energy. But the Baard project will instead pollute our air and lock Ohio into the past.

    Ted Strickland supports the Baard Plant. Ted Strickland wants to pollute our air and lock Ohio in the dirty coal past. Can we afford to keep Ted Strickland around for another four years?

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Nominee for Governor.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/9/10

    Ohio Needs To Become More Progressive

    Ohio needs progressive leadership to overcome the hadrships of the 21st century, leadership Ted Strickland is not providing.

    Some states, such as Wisconsin, and Minnesota, are widely known for their progressive, innovative state policies. They welsome ideas from outside the confines of their state house. Some states hire highly paid staff and consultanats to develop public policy. Some states rely on sophisticated legislative policy development staffs formed around specific problem areas such as education and economic development.

    Ohio, uses none of these approaches. And will not under the continued leadership of Ted Strickland. Ted Strickland does not  try and solve problems. The only approach Ted Strickland takes is listening to special interest groups and their advocates for information. Now we know why Ohio is NOT know as an innovative state in the public policy arena.

    It's time to elect a Green Party Governor who will look for innovations to 21st century problems. Ohio must become more progressive in solving education, health and human services problems for all Ohioans. We need a governor who will lead, and not just listen to special interest groups like Ted Strickland currently does and will continue to do if he is re-elected in 2010.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio nominee for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/8/10

    Americans Want Clean Green Energy From Wind Power

    In a national survey administered in March by Public Opinion Strategies and Bennett, Petts & Normington, results showed that an overwhelming bipartisan majority -- 89% -- of American voters (including 84% of Republicans, 88% of Independents and 93% of Democrats) believe increasing the amount of energy the nation gets from wind is a good idea.  Furthermore, a majority of Americans -- 56% -- disapprove of the job Congress is doing on renewable energy and 67% believe Congress is not doing enough to increase renewable energy sources such as wind.

    But Governor Ted Strickland still considers building more and more coal plants as the answer for Ohio's energy problems. Ted Strickland is out of touch with Ohioans and Americans. Ted Strickland supports those energy policies put forth by dirty coal and nuke lobbyists.

    It's time Ohio truely elects a Green Governor for the Buckeye State.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    5/7/10

    Ole King Coal: Ted Strickland Loves Dirty Coal Campaign Money

    Ole King Coal, AKA Ted Strickland, is a merry ole soul, and a merry ole soul is he. He dances for his dirty coal contributions into his re-election campaign this year.

    Early this year, Ted Strickland backed the ill-fated Duke Energy plan for another dirty coal plant in Meigs County. Also earlier this year, Duke Energy poured $16,000 into Ted Strickland's re-election campaign coffers.

    But one energy company who profits from dirty coal is not enough for Ted Strickland. Ted has also reaped huge campaign contributions from Dayton Power and Light as well as First Energy Ohio.

    Why is Ted Strickland passive on bringing solar and wind power to Ohio compared to his continued huge push for dirty coal plants? Could it be Duke Energy has Ted Strickland right where they want him? Pushing a pro-coal agenda?

    I think so. As Green Party Governor of Ohio, I will take no PAC money from dirty coal and power companies. I stress more green energy for Ohio, let's make Ohio the Green Power Giant of America in solar and wind power research, development, and manufacturing.

    Ted Strickland won't. Duke Energy told him so.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    5/6/10

    Middletown, Ohio: Ted Strickland is selling you down the river for $20,500 dollars

    SunCoke Energy, a subsidiary of Sunoco Inc., wants to build a $340 million dollar coke production and electrical facility in South Middletown on the border of Monroe. The plant would produce metallurgical-grade coke to be supplied solely to AK Steel Inc. in Middletown via a conveyor system.

    However, last month it was learned that,  the SunCoke Haverhill North Coke Company’s P901 and P902 plants — similar to the $360 million plant to be built in Middletown — “violated and continues to violate” its bypass venting permit requirements. Since Jan. 1, 2009, SunCoke has failed to comply with its permit in at least 116 instances, emitting 594 percent tons more of particulate matter and 134 percent tons more sulfur dioxide through its bypass stacks than allowed, said Gina Harrison, an environmental scientist with the U.S. EPA’s Region 5 office.

    Where does Ted Strickland stand on the building of the Suncoke Middletown plant? He supports it.

    Gov. Ted Strickland, whose office has openly supported the project, said he has been “in frequent contact” with SunCoke and AK Steel, a partner in the project.

    “Just let me emphasize if I can, this facility will be the cleanest coke plant in America. It is using the most advance technology available. It will be constructed with all of those concerns in mind and so that the environment will be protected and it will be a major boost I hope for the Middletown community,” Strickland said in a phone interview Tuesday, Feb. 9.

    While Strickland said he was aware of the objections posed by the city of Monroe and several residents there regarding the potential health hazards, he said he believes the Middletown plant will be state-of-the-art and pose no threat to human health.

    AK STEEL DONATED $7,500 DOLLARS TO STRICKLAND'S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN. SUN PAC, THE PAC FOR SUNOCO, DONATED $13,000 DOLLARS TO TED STRICKLAND'S CAMPAIGN. FOR THIS AMOUNT, TED STRICKLAND IS BACKING  AK STEEL AND SUNCOKE'S DIRTY VOLATION PRONE COKE PLANT!

    Does this sound like a "Green" Governor to you? Does Ted Strickland really care about the citizens of Middletown and their health? Or is Ted Strickland once again demonstrating that he is in the pockets of dirty coal, nukes, and energy plants? And Steel plants who drop $7,500 dollars in Strickland's back pocket?

    As the Green Party of Ohio's candidate for Governor, I stand with the vast majority of Middletown residents who do not want a dirty coke plant in their backyard.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

     

    5/5/10

    Ted Strickland wants you to pay HIGHER Healthcare costs

    Ted Strickland wants you to pay higher healthcare costs. He wants you to pay higher premimums. He wants you to pay higher co-payments. He wants you to pay higher deductibles. He wants people to be excluded from coverage.

    Why? Because Ted Strickland is on record saying that healthcare insurances companies need to remain in Ohio. Strickland issued his pro-insurance company message when a public option plan was being considered by Congress.

    Why does Ted Strickland back insurance companies? Maybe it's because Insurance Companies are bankrolling Ted Strickland's campaign for re-election.

    Aetna has contributed $18,000 dollars. Medical Mutual has contributed $10,000.  Seems to me Ted is in the backpockets of the big boys.

    I support The Health Care for All Ohioans Act which will lead to NO co-payments, deductibles, premiums, and NO ONE EXCLUDED for coverage.

    Too bad Ted Strickland can't say the same.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    5/4/10
     

    Why Not Ohio? Solar Power Heats Up As Costs Drop

    Earlier this year in a Toledo Blade article, Ted Strickland admitted that Ohio has been passive in pursuing more solar energy in Ohio. Now, a story out of Kansas City points out how other states continue to build a growing solar power industry in their area while Ohio stands still....

     
    Solar power heats up as costs drop, electric rates rise
      Apr 26, 2010 The Kansas City Star  

    Steve Everly

    The Midwest gets plenty of sunshine -- more than Germany, which uses more solar power than any other country. Kansas City has the same percentage of annual sunshine as San Antonio, for example, and Dodge City, Kan., has as much as Miami.

    And the big cost considerations that for years have held back solar power in the region have changed. The price of solar panels has dropped substantially, and the Midwest's traditionally low electricity prices are on the rise.

    Those factors came together recently for Tom Lawler, a Commerce Bank vice president. As coordinator of the bank's sustainability efforts, he has crunched the numbers on solar power for years. But this time he got a big surprise. They made economic sense.

    The payback time for a solar panel project had plummeted from 25 years to just 10 years. As a result, Commerce this month is installing photovoltaic panels at its branch at 135th Street and State Line Road in Kansas City.

    Solar power has become a viable investment.

    A Kansas City greeting card company that later this year will install the largest solar installation in Missouri. Kansas City Power and Light plans to have its first solar power installation up and running next year.

    Overall, solar capacity for the first time moved above 2,000 megawatts, enough to power 350,000 homes, convincing many in the industry that solar is at a turning point.

    Last year was the best ever for the U.S. solar industry, and 2010 is expected to be even better.

     

    Solar has always been a tough sell in the Midwest, but several trends are helping make it more competitive:

    --The cost of photovoltaic panels, which account for just over half of a solar installation, have plummeted 40 percent in the last year, thanks to cheaper prices for silicon and ample manufacturing capacity.

    --Available incentives have never been more generous. Federal tax credits or grants are cutting the cost of commercial and residential solar installations by 30 percent. Businesses also can accelerate depreciation of their investment, helping recover their costs faster. Other incentives include the KCP&L rebate for its Missouri customers, which can lower a system's cost an additional 25 percent or so.

    --The Midwest's low prices for conventionally generated electricity are going up. KCP&L, for example, will have raised rates about 40 percent in just a few years if its most recent rate request is granted.

    --Several states, including Kansas and Missouri, are encouraging use of renewable energy, including requiring utilities to use more. Missouri's law specifically requires some solar use, and both states require utilities to buy excess renewable energy produced by households and businesses.

    Why Not Ohio? Why do we continue to let "Passive" Ted Strickland be the leader of solar power and energy in Ohio. Ted Strickland is a dirty coal and dirty nuclear loving governor. He will never commit to improving solar power on a grand scale. I will.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    5/3/10

    Hey Ted Strickland: "Clean coal" won't work, new research says

    Someone in the Democratic Party needs to tell Ted Strickland, our dirty-coal loving governor to sit down and read the following report released last week:

    "Clean coal" won't work, new research says


    US research paper questions viability of carbon capture and storage
    A new research paper from American academics is threatening to blow a hole in growing political support for carbon capture and storage as a weapon in the fight against global warming.

    The document from Houston University claims that governments wanting to use CCS have overestimated its value and says it would take a reservoir the size of a small US state to hold the CO2 produced by one power station.

    Previous modelling has hugely underestimated the space needed to store CO2 because it was based on the "totally erroneous" premise that the pressure feeding the carbon into the rock structures would be constant, argues Michael Economides, professor of chemical engineering at Houston, and his co-author Christene Ehlig-Economides, professor of energy engineering at Texas A&M University

    "It is like putting a bicycle pump up against a wall. It would be hard to inject CO2 into a closed system without eventually producing so much pressure that it fractured the rock and allowed the carbon to migrate to other zones and possibly escape to the surface," Economides said.

    The paper concludes that CCS "is not a practical means to provide any substantive reduction in CO2 emissions, although it has been repeatedly presented as such by others."

    The report has come at a critical time when British and other governments worldwide have started to fast-track a series of CCS prototype schemes as a way of removing carbon from the atmosphere and helping with climate change.

    On 8 April, Royal assent was given on to what is now the Energy Act 2010, which made law plans to raise a levy on power users to establish four CCS projects in Britain. Ministers see this as a potentially planet-friendly way of building new coal fired power stations, such as the one E.ON wants to construct at Kingsnorth, in Kent.

    The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA), which lobbies on behalf of the sector, says Britain is now at the forefront of new technology with a legislative framework in place that offers the opportunity for long-term investment.

    Projects are proceeding in the US, such as the experimental coal-fired Mountaineer plant in New Haven, West Virginia, which began small-scale carbon capture last year, as well as in Canada, China and other countries.

    Jeff Chapman, chief executive of the CCSA, believes Economides has made inappropriate assumptions about the science and geology. He believes the conclusions in the paper are wrong and says his views are backed up by rebuttals from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National laboratory and the American Petroleum Institute.

    The British Geological Survey confirmed it was looking at the Economides findings and was hoping to shortly produce a peer-reviewed analysis.

    Economides, who has a PHD from Stanford University, said he had seen the arguments against his paper from the API and dismissed them as "nonsense" saying vested interests are protecting a new concept foisted on the world by geologists without proper thought.

    "I was a [practising] petroleum engineer for many years and soon realised that geologists did not understand flow and the laws of physics, against which you can't argue."

    Chapman pointed out that Statoil, a Norwegian oil company, had been injecting CO2 into an old reservoir on the North Sea Sleipner field for some time as a successful experiment in carbon storage. But Economides says the Sleipner scheme involved a million tonnes over three years, while one 500mW commercial station would need to absorb and store 3m tonnes annually for 25 years.Economides, who admits he veers towards being something of a climate change sceptic, says the oil and coal industries see these schemes as potential solutions so they can keep on doing what they have been doing in the past, but "CCS is the last refuge of the scoundrel," he said.

    Ted Strickland supports CCS at the new Wellsville, Ohio Baard plant that he backs. Ted Strickland wants to continue to pollute the Ohio environment by backing such broken processes such as CCS.

    I spoke out against the Baard plant based on unuseable CCS procedures,Ted Strickland still supports the project.

    It's time to dump Ted Strickland from office.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/2/10

    Why Not Ohio? Nova Scotia To Introduce Feed-In Tariffs

    Paul Gipe reported last week that  as part of Nova Scotia's Renewable Electricity Plan, the province in Eastern Canada will implement a series of feed-in tariffs for locally-owned projects.

    Nova Scotia, one of Canada's Maritime Provinces, announced the Community-Based Feed-in Tariffs or COMFIT program to "encourage the development of local renewable energy projects by municipalities, First Nations, co-operatives, and non-profit groups."

    If implemented as proposed, Nova Scotia will be the third province to use feed-in tariffs to develop renewable energy. Prince Edward Island, also a Maritime Province, has had a simple feed-in tariff for several years, and Ontario, Canada's most populous province launched its successful program last fall.

    The government's Renewable Electricity Plan proposes building 300 MW of new renewable capacity by 2015 in three equal tranches: one for the provincial utility, one for independent power producers, and one for community-owned projects. Significantly, the plan proposes reducing coal-fired generation from 75% of supply to 40% of supply by 2020.

    Why not Ohio? Why are more and more Canadian Providences and States here in the USA going to feed-in tariffs to lower use of coal-fired energy plants? Is it because Ted Strickland supports building more and more coal plants in the Buckeye State? Considering his support for building a coal to fossil fuel plant in Wellsville, one has to believe Ted Strickland is controlled by dirty coal lobbyists in Columbus.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    5/1/10

    Sorry Ted, Proposed air pollution rules would restrict toxic emissions

    Ted Strickland and his dirty coal and power companies got some bad news in today's Columbus Dispatch:

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration proposed new air pollution rules today that would sharply restrict toxic emissions such as mercury from the boilers that provide power for many Ohio factories and universities.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said its proposed regulations would reduce mercury emissions by more than 50 percent from 200,000 industrial boilers and solid waste incinerators across the country. Mercury can cause damage to the developing brains and nervous systems of children before they are born.

    The new rules, if put into effect, will have a major impact on virtually every part of the United States, particularly the industrial Midwest. They would cover boilers that burn natural gas, coal and oil to produce heat and electricity for factories, universities, hotels and commercial buildings.

    In addition, the rules would require sharp reductions in toxic emissions from incinerators that burn solid waste at commercial and industrial sites.

    Environmentalists hailed the news. Frank O'Donnell, president of the Clean Air Watch, a nonprofit environmental organization in Washington, called them "a huge step towards protecting children from toxic mercury and other hazards from smokestack pollution.''

    "This is one of the most significant steps taken by the Obama EPA to protect public health,'' O'Donnell said. "Literally thousands of dirty-air deaths would be prevented each year.''

    The EPA said the new rules, if fully put in place, would save as much as $44 billion every year in health costs and prevent as many as 5,200 premature deaths.

    "Strong cuts to mercury and other harmful emissions will have real benefits for our health and our environment, spur clean technology innovations and save American communities billions of dollars in avoided health costs,'' said Lisa Jackson, administrator of the EPA, in a statement.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Poor Ted Strickland. Such a ruling who be a blow to his plans to put more dirty coal power plants in Ohio. It would stop possible construction of Strickland's coal to liquid fuel plant in Wellsville. It would stop Ted's backed Suncoke Plant in Middletown.

    Mercury harms children. Ted Strickland doesn't support this claim. Ted loves dirty coal plants that produce Mercury. Ted Strickland doesn't mind harming your children.

    I support this proposed ruling and turning Ohio's future to clean wind and solar power producing resources.  Ted Strickland will fight it.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th! Just say no to the Democrats and Republicans who do not care about your children's health!

    4/30/10

    Why Vote Green on May 4th!

    The latest report indicates that over 11 percent of our workers are either unemployed or underemployed. Our infrastructure, and school and health care systems are failing. We are 8 billion in state debt. The richest of the rich have become more so while the majority of workers have fallen behind to inflation over the last 20 years.

    Sixty-five percent of the people in a recent USA Today poll said they think most members of Congress don't deserve re-election. The poll shows that only 28 percent of voters identify themselves as Republicans and only 32 percent as Democrats. Thirty-nine percent have declared themselves as independents.

    It is obvious that voters are abandoning hope that either of the two major parties can lead the country in the right direction. We have been disappointed too many times by both major parties. Ohio voters now have the unique opportunity to send the message to the rest of the country: We all deserve better!

    Ted Strickland has failed Ohio. John Kasich will damage Ohio even further!

    It's time for the Green Party in Ohio!

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/29/10

    VOTERS HAVE CHOICES THIS YEAR!

    VOTERS HAVE CHOICES THIS YEAR!
    Due to a decision by the Ohio Supreme Court ruling Ohio's election system unconstitutional, the Secretary of State has ordered the official recognition of all minor political parties in the state. What this means for voters in the May 4th. Primary is that for the first time they may now vote for any of the minor parties' candidates for public office.
    The Green Party will be running candidates around the state for Governor and Lt. Governor as well as for State Representative, US Congress and local offices in various districts. State and County committee persons are also elected in the primary to serve as Green Party officials. You must however request the Green Party Primary Ballot, the Boards of Elections are not required to inform you of your choices.
    If you feel that the Republicans and Democrats no longer represent your best interests then now is the time to find out about all the parties and candidates that will be participating in this year's Primary Election.
    The Green Party supports The Health Care For All Ohiaons Act, which will fully fund  universal health care in a non-profit system that will guarantee health care coverage for every Ohio resident and worker, not the windfall for health insurance companies that the President and Congress have delivered to us as "health care reform"!
    In Appalachian Ohio we have been decimated by manufacturing job losses. The Green Party supports initiatives such as The New Apollo Program that will concentrate on new job creation in green industries, alternative energy and environmental sectors that will bring back living wage jobs to both urban and rural areas and promote a healthier environment.
    The Green Party supports the non-violent resolution of conflict and will work at all levels of state and federal government to end  foreign invovlement that uses military force to pursue economic and social policy agendas.
    Yes you do have choices this year!  Excercise your right to vote and consider all your options when making an informed decision
    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor
    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/28/10

    Shift Green

    Green America's corporate responsibility director, Todd Larsen, crunched the numbers published by the US Department of Labor for the average American household's 2009 purchases, and came away with an inspiring conclusion. If all American households shift just 10 percent of their current spending to green purchases, we could steer $300 billion toward green jobs and the green economy.

    Think about it. That's $300 billion toward businesses that build community… $300 billion toward recycling, composting, and reuse… $300 billion toward reduced energy use… $300 billion toward fair supply chains that protect workers and stop sweatshop abuses.

    Equally powerful, the reverse of the equation is true. Shifting 10 percent to green means pulling $300 billion worth of support out of the business-as-usual economy. That's $300 diverted from supporting fossil-fuel expansion… $300 billion pulled from irresponsible, exploitative banks… $300 billion of support denied to big-box stores with questionable sourcing standards and disastrous carbon footprints.

    It's time to say goodbye to corporate controlled Democrats and Republicans like Ted Strickland and John Kasich!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/27/10

    Shouldn't Ohio's New Job Czar Be the Governor?

    From last week's Plain Dealer:

    Ohio needs a jobs czar to envision ways of putting Ohioans back to work and to coordinate programs scattered across nine state agencies, a new report concludes.

    The report, "Help Wanted: a Lead State workforce official," depicts a system of overlapping and splintered programs and strategies that it says could be strengthened through a unity of purpose. The nonprofit Columbus-based Community Research Partners in Columbus released the report last Thursday.

    "There needs to be someone who is a very visible leader who has the authority and resources to pull together all of the workforce programming and policymaking across state agencies," said Roberta Garber, the group's executive director.

    Individuals in key agencies like the Board of Regents, the Department of Job and Family Services and the Department of Development may be doing this within their agencies, but more is needed, Garber said. The Board of Regents administers about two-thirds of an estimated $2 billion-plus in public workforce funds.

    To lower unemployment, the report says Ohio should have a three-pronged goal: Emphasize the needs of employers, provide effective education and training, and develop clear, measurable polices for putting people back to work.

    With its scattered approach, Ohio misses opportunities to attract jobs and retrain unemployed workers and others to fill them, Garber said.

    For example, she knows of employers who wanted to bring jobs to the state, but wanted to tap into programs aimed at training workers to fill the new jobs. In states with more coordinated efforts, she said, this would be a one-stop process, where bringing jobs, training workers and filling openings would be done in conjunction with state and local entities.

    By naming a jobs czar, Garber said, Ohio would join a national trend, already adopted in states like Virginia and New Mexico. Even Michigan, which has the country's highest unemployment rate, is already seeing progress in retraining jobless workers through this approach, she said.

    Garber said retraining increasing numbers of displaced blue collar workers for in-demand "middle-skill" jobs like licensed practical nursing is key to lowering high unemployment. Any large-scale effort at creating these jobs without statewide coordination will be difficult, she said.

    Shouldn't the Governor's office be the place to go about attracting new jobs? Shouldn't that be the Governor's main job in the 21st Century?

    Ted Strickland and Lee Fisher dropped the ball in bringing in new jobs and retaining jobs over the last 4 years. It's time to elect a Green Party Governor who will be the cheerleader for new blue-green manufacturing jobs in Ohio.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

     
     

    4/26/10

    Ted Strickland: Education Governor? OhiO Schools Face Severe Budget Cuts

    Ted Strickland is another in a long line of Governor's who likes to tell the OEA and others he is the "Education Governor". And like other Governor's, he will punish schools with severe budget cuts as possibly soon as the 2011 state budget.

    Local school districts warned of 2011 state cuts

    State Rep. Randy Gardner has told area school superintendents to expect a 20-percent or higher cut in state aid in the next state budget bill.
    Gardner, R-Bowling Green, sent a memo more than a week ago to superintendents in Lucas and Wood counties alerting them that local schools were likely to see an average reduction in state funding of between 22.7 percent and 30.1 percent, depending upon which of two scenarios is used.
    The new budget takes effect in 15 months.

    His office provided the two scenarios to administrators: One that accepts the Gov. Ted Strickland’s forecast of more than $1 billion in new state revenue growth in the next budget, and one that shows state tax receipts experiencing no growth in the next two years.

    The numbers are based on data from the Department of Education, the governor’s office and the Legislative Services Commission, among others.
    The assumptions also do not include any major tax increases, new gambling revenues or new federal stimulus dollars.

    In the current state budget, districts lost an average of 10 percent of funding — but the state closed the gap by doling out federal stimulus dollars that brought the actual cuts closer to 1 percent, according to Gardner.

    Without a new flow of revenues, Gardner said Ohio could be facing a deficit between $6 billion and $8 billion in the next two-year budget.

    Ted Strickland's "Turnaround Ohio" plan was to fix education funding. His plan has not. It's time we elect a Governor who will fund education properly.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info-contact 330-503-1407

    4/25/10

    Ohio Jobs: Dropping Like Flies

    When Ted Strickland took office in January of 2007, about 5.66 million Ohioans were employed. This March (latest month available), about 5.29 million Ohioans were employed - a 6.54 percent drop. Nationally over that period, the employment drop was 4.86 percent.

    Ted Strickland has failed this state in creating and keeping jobs. He has been slow in creating new Blue-Green Energy and manufacturing jobs, always last to push new creative ways to bring solar and wind power jobs to Ohio then his neighboring state governors.

    Ted Strickland is a sailboat without a sail. He drifts aimlessly across the state trying to figure a way out of the current mess- a mess he first blamed on Republicans and now the Obama Administration.

    Ted Strickland's "Turnaround Ohio" plan has failed. His cuts to education and social programs will only get bigger in 2011 when he has to try and close an 8 billion dollar budget gap without producing new jobs and a greater tax base.

    Ohio will continue to list like a battered ship on the high seas with Ted Strickland on deck. It's time to retire, Ted.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/24/10

    How The Health Care for All Ohioans Act Would Work

    Under the Health Care for all Ohioan Act, All Ohioans would be covered for all medical necessary services, including: doctor, hospital,preventive, long-term care, mental health,reproductibe health care, dental, vision, prescription drug, and medical supply costs.

    Doctors would be paid fee-for-service or receive salary from a hospital or nonprofit HMO/group practice. The system would pay hospitals,for operating expenses. Health facilities and expensive equipment purchases would be managed by health boards.

    A single-payer system would be financed by eliminating private insurers and saving what they waste on profit,administration,and harassing patients and doctors. Premiums and out-of-pocket payments currently paid by individuals and business would be replaced by modest new taxes amounting to half or 2/3 what we pay now. Such savings are impossible if the killing, profiteering insurers stay in business.

    Costs would be controlled through preventing disease instead of treating it later,negotiated fees, budgeting, and bulk purchasing.

     

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/23/10

    The Problem With Healthcare in Ohio

     

    Elected Republicans and Democrats in Ohio are blocking single-payer health care. Their phony "reform" will mean thousands more deaths, personal and business bankruptcies, and much higher costs.

    The for-profit health care system doesn’t work.

    18,000 Americans die every year because they didn’t have health insurance.

    Thousands of Americans WITH health insurance also die, because health insurers delayed or denied their care.

    Nearly half of all young people (19-34) are without health insurance.

    Approximately half of all personal bankruptcies are caused by medical bills.

    American businesses can’t afford to provide insurance for their workers.

    Single-payer is the best alternative.

    Single-payer is cheaper than for-profit health insurance. Countries with national health care spend about HALF as much per person on health care than we do, yet their people are healthier.

    Single-payer delivers better care. The profit motive driving our current system inevitably diverts resources from patients to investors, executive pay, advertising, lobbying, a morass of paperwork, etc.

    Only single-payer can cover everyone.

    Vote Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/22/10

    Green Party Support for House Bill 8

    As a father of two sons with autism, I support House Bill 8, which would prohibit health insurers from excluding coverage for specified autism services for individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. House Bill 8, which would prohibit health insurers from excluding coverage for specified autism services for individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. We need to spare parents from unmanageable medical expenses that come with treating children and adults with autism.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/21/10

    Ohio is a Blue State: The Unemployment Blues

    Lst week's unemployment numbers do not print a pretty picture of Ohio for March of this year. The Akron Beacon Jouirnal reported the following stats:

    21 counties have unemployment rates of 15 percent or higher.

    Counties with an unemployment rate of 10 percent or higher grew from four to 81.

    The seven remaining counties all have rates of 9 percent or higher.

    When Ted Strickland ran for governor he promised to turn around Ohio.

    He promised to create gobs of jobs, but the ship of state has not turned. Instead, it is sinking.

    The improved tax climate and Strickland's efforts to address the state's economy did not protect 8,000 jobs at the DHL Express USA distribution facility in Clinton County in southwest Ohio.

    That county's unemployment rate jumped from 5.7 percent in 2006 to 19 percent as of February.

    For 28 years, the federal government has poured money into the emergency food and shelter program primarily based on a mixed criteria of poverty and unemployment rates.

    The counties that met the eligibility requirements were typically in Appalachia and in the northeastern part of the state that suffered from a blend of urban poverty and manufacturing job losses.

    In 2006, 62 counties were eligible for the funding. Four years later, the number had increased to 79 of the 88 counties, including nine counties that were added to the list since 2009.

    The economic crisis facing Ohio is now epidemic. It's time for a change in Governor.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    420/10

    Has Ted Strickland's "Turnararound Ohio" Plan Worked? 429,300 Jobs LOST!

    Ted Strickland promised to "Turnaround Ohio" in 2006... And he has:  429,300 jobs have been lost on his watch.

    The little known fact about unemployment rates is that they count only people who are actively seeking work. If you don't look, you're not counted. National labor experts say this generally adds about 2 more percent to the unemployment number, so it's not a stretch to say that an Ohio county with 18 percent unemployment really has one out of five people out of work. This is what is happening in the following Ohio counties: Clinton, Highland, Huron, Morgan, Noble and Ottawa counties.

    Ohio's unemployment rate when Strickland stepped into office in January 2007 was 5.3 percent and Ted Strickland blamed what he saw as failed Republican policies for Ohio's problems in 2006. Now Strickland blames Obama and the national scene. When will Ted Strickland take blame?

    With unemployment at 11 percent, the blame must be Strickland's. He has failed to bring in new blue-green jobs at the rates of other surrounding states. He has failed to keep jobs in the Buckeye state.

    The next Governor for Ohio must create jobs. Ted Strickland has failed during his tenure.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the May 4th Green Party Primary!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/19/10

    Low Income Folks Want Green Collar Jobs

     

    The green-collar jobs movement  got another major boost: a groundbreaking report underscores how the growing green economy can provide high quality jobs for those who need them most. The author, Professor Raquel Rivera Pinderhughes of San Francisco State University, is a leading national expert on green-collar jobs.

    Some highlights:

    .

    Workers with barriers to employment want green-collar jobs.  Analysis of men and women in Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco with barriers to employment revealed that:

    • 89 percent wanted to learn more about green-collar jobs.
    • 61 percent expressed interest in being contacted in the future so they could receive training to work in a green-collar job.

    Prof. Pinderhughes summarizes the report:

    Poverty, unemployment and racial inequality are significant problems in the United States, and there is an urgent need for a new source of living wage jobs for low income residents with barriers to employment. Where can these jobs come from? This research project shows that an important part of the answer is the deliberate cultivation of "green-collar" jobs.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/18/10

    Why Ohio Needs To Turn To Green Jobs

     

    The green-collar jobs movement  got another major boost: a groundbreaking  report underscores how the growing green economy can provide high quality jobs for those who need them most. The author, Professor Raquel Rivera Pinderhughes of San Francisco State University, is a leading national expert on green-collar jobs.

    This report deepens our understanding of how to harness green business growth to build pathways out of poverty. Prof. Pinderhughes' research provides us with critical guidance as we develop the Oakland Green Jobs Corps, the nation's first attempt to carry out the model that Professor Pinderhughes describes in her report.

    Some highlights:

    Green businesses need workers, offer training, and pay well.  Of the Berkeley green businesses surveyed by Professor Pinderhughes:

    • 86 percent hire workers without previous direct experience or training for green-collar jobs.
    • 94 percent provide on-the-job training for workers in entry level positions.
    • 90 percent pay the full cost of insuring their workers.
    • 73 percent of businesses stated that there was a shortage of qualified green-collar workers for their sector, with the greatest needs in energy, green building, mechanics and bike repair.
    • The average hourly wage for green-collar work in Berkeley is $15.80 plus benefits. This is $4.00 higher an hour than Berkeley's current minimum "living wage," which is the highest in the nation.

    To bring jobs back to Ohio, Ohio needs a Green Party Governor committed 100% to Green Energy, and not committed to dirty coal and nuke power like Ted Strickland  is.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contacvt 330-503-1407

    4/17/10

    And Ted Strickland Wants To Build More Nuke Plants In Ohio?

    The Plain Dealer report says it all about problems at Davis-Bessie Nuke Plant:

    As many as 16 critical parts in the Davis-Besse reactor lid are cracked or flawed, and the problem could get worse.

    Engineers expect to find additional problems when they conduct a third round of high-tech inspections in the coming weeks.

    The cracks can lead to radioactive coolant seeping into reactor lid, corroding it and ultimately leaking into the heavy-walled building containing the reactor. That’s what happened to Davis-Besse in 2002.

    The reactor has been shut down since Feb. 28 for what owner FirstEnergy Corp. initially thought would be a fairly routine refueling and safety inspection. There is no re-start date at this point because of the time-consuming repairs that have barely begun and the planned additional inspections..

    And Ted Strickland, our "Green" Governor wants to build a new nuke plant in Piketon or in your backyard someday?

    As Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor, I say no more nukes for Ohio. Ted Strickland will say "Come on down, let's GLOW BABY GLOW!"

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    4/16/10

    Ted Strickland Never Met A Smokestack he Didn't Like

    SunCoke Energy, a subsidiary of Sunoco Inc., wants to build a $340 million dollar coke production and electrical facility in South Middletown on the border of Monroe. The plant would produce metallurgical-grade coke to be supplied solely to AK Steel Inc. in Middletown via a conveyor system.

    However, last month it was learned that,  the SunCoke Haverhill North Coke Company’s P901 and P902 plants — similar to the $360 million plant to be built in Middletown — “violated and continues to violate” its bypass venting permit requirements. Since Jan. 1, 2009, SunCoke has failed to comply with its permit in at least 116 instances, emitting 594 percent tons more of particulate matter and 134 percent tons more sulfur dioxide through its bypass stacks than allowed, said Gina Harrison, an environmental scientist with the U.S. EPA’s Region 5 office.

    Where does Ted Strickland stand on the building of the Suncoke Middletown plant? He supports it.

    Gov. Ted Strickland, whose office has openly supported the project, said he has been “in frequent contact” with SunCoke and AK Steel, a partner in the project.

    “Just let me emphasize if I can, this facility will be the cleanest coke plant in America. It is using the most advance technology available. It will be constructed with all of those concerns in mind and so that the environment will be protected and it will be a major boost I hope for the Middletown community,” Strickland said in a phone interview Tuesday, Feb. 9.

    While Strickland said he was aware of the objections posed by the city of Monroe and several residents there regarding the potential health hazards, he said he believes the Middletown plant will be state-of-the-art and pose no threat to human health.

    Does this sound like a "Green" Governor to you? Does Ted Strickland really care about the citizens of Middletown and their health? Or is Ted Strickland once again demonstrating that he is in the pockets of dirty coal, nukes, and energy plants?

    As the Green Party of Ohio's candidate for Governor, I stand with the vast majority of Middletown residents who do not want a dirty coke plant in their backyard.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party primary on May 4th!

    For more info: contact 330-503-1407

    4/15/10

    Nine Basic Principles to Fixing Public Education Funding

    Nine Basic Principles to

    Guide School Finance Reform

     Each student has a fundamental right to a high quality public education.

     There must be a process established to define thecomponents of a high quality education. The components must be updated on a regular basis.

     Phantom revenue must be eliminated.

     An objective process to determine cost must be established.

     School funding is a state responsibility.

     Educational opportunities must extend from Pre-K through grade 12.

     Enforceability of the right of students high quality educational opportunities must be included in the package.

     The over-reliance on property tax must be reduced. Property tax relief must be achieved.

     The quality of education must not be a function of school district property valuation or district income.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.org

    For more info, conatct 330-503-1407

     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Single-Payer Health Care Is The Only Right Answer For Ohio

    The only real solution to the health care crisis is the single-payer plan, which covers every American regardless of income, age, or prior medical condition. Under single-payer, physicians and patients make decisions about medical care, not government or corporate bureaucracies, and everyone can choose his or her own health care provider.

    As GAO and Congressional Budget Office studies have shown in the past, single-payer will save billions in health care spending, because it eliminates the administrative costs, waste, and high CEO salaries of for-profit health insurance.

    Single-payer could be Congress' gift to working people and businesses alike. Single-payer will boost the economy by relieving businesses large and small of the costly burden of providing health benefits.

    That's why I support the Health Care for All Ohioans Act. We need to bring cost-cutting and affordable single-payer health care to Ohio!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    The hype behind the healthcare reform bill

    By Dr. James C. Mitchiner
    Guest column
    AnnArbor.com, April 4, 2010

    In the weeks and months ahead, Americans will learn the true details about the health care reform bill passed by the U.S. House on March 21 and signed into law by President Obama two days later. They may not like what they see. If ever there was March Madness, this surely must be it.

    Lost in all the hype and self-congratulatory rhetoric repeated by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues are the facts that brought us to the passage of this flawed legislation.

    Here are a few:

    • Of the 32 million Americans who will gain coverage under this law, about 16 million will be covered by Medicaid. Here in financially strapped Michigan, with the recent 8 percent reduction in Medicaid reimbursement to doctors and the looming possibility of an additional 11 percent cut, the already dwindling Medicaid participation rate among physicians will decrease further. The result will confirm what we have learned from health reform in Massachusetts: access to health insurance in no way guarantees access to actual health care. Waits to see a physician will increase, and emergency rooms will become jammed more than they already are.

    • Millions of middle-income citizens will be herded into buying private health insurance policies costing up to 9.5 percent of their annual income while covering on average only 70 percent of their medical expenses, leaving them responsible for high co-pays and deductibles. Such a “benefit” will not provide them with the necessary financial security should they fall victim to a catastrophic illness or injury.

    • Health insurance firms are likely to garner over $400 billion in federal assistance, courtesy of American taxpayers, to subsidize the purchase of their defective products. Moreover, since the newly insured are likely to be young and healthy, and therefore less risky to insure, private insurers will be guaranteed continued profits which will be used to extend their political clout and inhibit future reforms.

    • Workers who currently receive coverage from their employer will be restricted to using their plan's limited network of providers. As the cost of their insurance climbs, many will eventually be taxed on the value of their benefits.

    • Optimistic projections that the reform law will reduce the federal deficit are based on wishful thinking and untested theories. As the experience with the Massachusetts reform plan (the model for this bill) has amply demonstrated, health care costs will continue to escalate.

    • The much-ballyhooed regulatory reforms in commercial insurance, such as prohibiting denials on the basis of pre-existing conditions, were crafted with the assistance of the insurers themselves, casting doubt on their true effectiveness. Older people, for example, can be charged up to three times more than their younger counterparts, and female employees can be charged higher rates at least until 2017.

    This bill’s passage is grounded on base political pragmatism rather than sound health care policy. It leaves intact the fragmented and unsustainable system that is wreaking havoc on our health and economy today, a system that generates up to $400 billion annually in wasteful administrative costs. According to Physicians for a National Health Program, an organization representing over 17,000 single-payer physician advocates, that’s enough to cover all the uninsured and to upgrade everyone else’s coverage without having to increase overall U.S. health spending by one dollar.

    So, in the coming years, we will be forced to muddle through the dysfunctional mess that epitomizes American health care. But it is only a matter of time before future legislators will survey the damage done and conclude that only the adoption of a single-payer national health insurance program - an expanded and improved Medicare-for-All - will guarantee coverage for Americans that is universal, portable, affordable, and equitable for all.

    Dr. James Mitchiner is an Ann Arbor emergency physician and is the former president of the Washtenaw County Medical Society.

    Vote Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/12/10

    Why Not Ohio? Indiana and Illinois Add Massive Wind Power

    The wind-energy industry last year installed about 5,700 turbines with more than 10,000 megawatts of generating capacity - enough to serve more than 2.4 million homes - according to the American Wind Energy Association.

    Texas leads the nation with more than 9,000 megawatts of total wind generation capacity, including 2,292 megawatts added last year.

    Indiana added 905 megawatts of capacity in 2009, second only to Texas in the amount of wind generation capacity added last year. Illinois added over 600 megawatts of capacity in 2009, and ranked 5th in additions.

    Why not Ohio? Why did Ohio fail to score in the top 5? Is it because again we see that we do not have the "Green" Governor we are led to believe we have in Democrat Ted Strickland? Ted Strickland is all talk and very little action. Ted talks green energy but Ohio fails to walk the walk. While other states are building and producing green wind energy, Ohio plans are always "down the road."

    It's time we elect a Green Power Governor in Ohio. Ohio will never realize it's Green Power potential as long as dirty coal and nuke power Governor Ted Strickland runs the show and the state.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/11/10

    Why Not Ohio? Ontario Races Ahead to Close Coal-Fired Coal Plants

    In another in a series of stunning announcements from Ontario, the provincial power authority has awarded connections and contracts for 2,500 MW of new renewable generation capacity under its precedent-setting feed-in tariff program.

    More announcements are expected in the months to come as the Ontario Power Authority brings on an additional 1,500 MW of new transmission capacity and works its way through an 80 MW backlog of residential rooftop solar applications.

    In typical Canadian understatement, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) says the contracts awarded may be "the single largest green initiative of its kind in Canada." In reality, the program may simply be the single largest green initiative in North America as the province races ahead in its plan to close its coal-fired power plants by 2014.

    Why Not Ohio? Is it because we have a dirty coal power plant supporter in the likes of Governor Ted Strickland? Considering Ted has never met a dirty coal power campaign donation he didn't like, Ohio will never look to reduce coal power plants as long as Ted Strickland remains Governor. It's time for a Green Power Governor for Ohio!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/10/10

    While Ohio Build Coal Plants, Other States Build Wind Farms

    While the folks at Duke Energy still look at new ways to build more coal plants in Ohio, other states are getting energy companies to look at building green renewable power sources.

    Constellation Energy Group (NYSE:CEG) , the parent of Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., said Wednesday it closed a deal to buy a $140 million wind energy project in Garrett County that is expected to start operating by the end of the year. Constellation is buying 28 2.5-megawatt wind turbines from Clipper Windpower Inc. The 70-megawatt project will generate 125 new jobs during construction. The project is part of Constellation's push to promote and expand its clean-energy offerings in the Mid-Atlantic area. Constellation struck a 20-year power purchase agreement with Old Dominion Electric Cooperative for renewable energy credits produced at the wind turbine facility.

    We need a Governor in Ohio who will push power companies to build more green renewable energy sources, not more dirty coal plants which pollute the Ohio environment.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/9/10

    Ohio Must Return to a Progressive Fair Tax System

    Low-and middle-income Ohioans pay a much greater share of their income in state and local taxes than the state’s most affluent do, according to a study by Policy Matters Ohio.

    The top 1 percent of non-elderly Ohio families by income, who earned at least $352,000 in 2007, on average pay 7.8 percent of their income in state and local taxes. By contrast, the lowest fifth, who make less than $17,000, on average pay 12.0 percent. Families in the middle fifth of the income spectrum, who make between $32,000 and $50,000, on average pay 11.0 percent.

    Recent changes in Ohio’s state and local tax system have increased the disparity. The report found that Ohio ranks 28th among states in the fairness of its tax system, based on the share of their income affluent Ohioans are paying in state and local taxes compared to that of lower- and middle-income Ohioans. Last time the study was done, which covered the law as of 2002, Ohio ranked 14th by this measure.

    The national report, Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States, was produced by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) and released in Ohio by Policy Matters Ohio and The Center for Community Solutions. It reviews every state’s tax system based on permanent changes in law enacted through October 2009 and income levels from 2007 (the most recent year that necessary data is available across states).

    “No one would ever design an income tax with lower tax rates for the best-off taxpayers,” noted Matthew Gardner, ITEP’s executive director and lead author of the study. “But that is exactly what Ohio’s tax system overall does: It allows the very wealthiest individuals to contribute less of their income, on average, than middle- and lower-income families must pay. In other words, Ohio has an unfair, regressive tax system.”
    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor
    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!
    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/8/10

    Strickland/Kasich: which one is the Democrat? Which One is the Republican?

    The Columbus Dispatch reported this week that former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson will headline a fundraiser for Gov. Ted Strickland on April 21 at Nationwide Arena.

    The event will feature a $1,000-per-person private reception from 3:30 to 4p.m., including a photo and autograph opportunity with the former Los Angeles Lakers all-star. A $100-per-person general reception will follow from 4 to 5 p.m.

    Lis Smith, Strickland campaign spokeswoman, said that the governor met Johnson at President Barack Obama's inauguration. "As a part-owner of the Dayton Dragons (Class A baseball team) and someone who shares Ted's interests in investing in education and strengthening small businesses, Mr. Johnson wanted to lend his help to Ted's re-election campaign," she said.

    Also, friends of Republican John Kasich, Strickland's opponent in the Nov.2 election, are holding a "Boot Scootin' Birthday Bash" fundraiser for Kasich on May15. The event at the Highmark Farm, 7480 Badenoch Dr. in Dublin, includes a $500-per-couple VIP reception. General admission is $250 per couple.

    I though Ted Strickland said last week he rememebers where his roots are? How many people from Portsmouth can afford a $1,000 meeting? 

    Ted Strickland talks like he's a member of the poor working class of Ohio while John kasich represents Wall Street and Lehmen Brothers.

    Is there really a difference between Strickland and Kasich? I don't think so.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/7/10

    Myths and Facts Regarding Single-Payer Health Care

    Financing single-payer national health insurance:

    Myths and facts

    Myth: Employers fund the majority of health care in the U.S. Fact:
    Private business funds less than 20

    percent of total health spending. (Government employees have taxpayer-funded coverage through the FEHBP program and employer payments for private insurance receive a substantial tax subsidy).

    Myth: The U.S. has a privately financed health care system. Fact: 60 percent of health spending is financed by taxpayers. (Estimates that are lower exclude two large sources of taxpayer-funded care: health insurance for government employees and tax subsidies to employers to provide coverage.)

    Myth: Covering the uninsured is unaffordable.Fact: 31 percent of current health spending is squandered on administrative tasks related to our fragmented payment system with hundreds of different health plans rather than invested in patient care. Over $350 billion – about half of the money currently wasted on overhead and bureaucracy – could besaved with simplified single-payer administration, enough to cover all the 46 million uninsured. Covering the uninsured is affordable; keeping the current private insurance system intact is not.

    Myth: National health insurance would require large new taxes. Fact: No increase in total health spending is needed to finance single payer. The increase in taxes required to finance national health insurance would be fully offset by a reduction in out-of-pocket costs and premiums.

    Myth: Making people more “cost conscious” is the best way to control health costs. Fact: The

    U.S. has the highest health care costs even though Americans pay the highest out-of-pocket costs of any nation.

    Myth: Rising numbers of elderly Americans will bankrupt the single payer. Fact: Europe and Japan already have a larger proportion of elderly people than America faces with the aging of the baby boomers. Germany and Japan have adopted single-payer programs for long-term care coverage precisely because of single payer’s greater potential for efficiency and cost containment.

    Myth: Rising numbers of obese Americans will bankrupt the single payer. Fact: The proportion of health spending dedicated to caring for the obese is not rising faster than their share of the population. The best way to address the issues of obesity, smoking and other public health epidemics is through public health measures.

    Myth: U.S. health spending is higher than other nations because we get more and higher quality care. Fact: Americans get less of most kinds of care (doctor, hospital, surgery, etc.) than the citizens of other industrialized nations, and our care is lower quality by several measures.

     

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/6/10
    Key Features in an Ohio Single Payer Health Care Plan

    Universal, Comprehensive Coverage
    Only such coverage ensures access, avoids a two-class system, and minimizes expense

    No out-of-pocket payments
    Co-payments and deductibles are barriers to access, administratively unwieldy, and unnecessary for cost containment

    A single insurance plan in the state, administered by a public or quasi-public agency
    A fragmentary payment system that entrusts private firms with administration ensures the waste of billions of dollars on useless paper pushing and profits. Private insurance duplicating public coverage fosters two-class care and drives up costs; such duplication should be prohibited

    Single site operating budgets for hospitals, nursing homes, allowed group and staff model HMOs and other providers with separate allocation of capital funds
    Billing on a per-patient basis creates unnecessary administrative complexity and expense. A budget separate from operating expenses will be allowed for capital improvements

    Free Choice of Providers
    Patients should be free to seek care from any licensed health care provider, without financial incentives or penalties

    Public Accountability, Not Corporate Dictates
    The public has an absolute right to democratically set overall health policies and priorities, but medical decisions must be made by patients and providers rather than dictated from afar. Market mechanisms principally empower employers and insurance bureaucrats pursuing narrow financial interests

    Ban on For-Profit Health Care Providers
    Profit seeking inevitably distorts care and diverts resources from patients to investors

    Protection of the rights of health care and insurance workers
    A single-payer state health program would eliminate the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people who currently perform billing, advertising, eligibility determination, and other superfluous tasks. These workers must be guaranteed retraining and placement in meaningful jobs.

    As long as Ted Strickland takes $10,000 donations from Medical Mutual and other insurance companies, you will never see Single-Payer Health Care in Ohio. It's time to remove Ted Strickland from office and in place put Single-Payer Health Care for all Ohioans.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/5/10

    Why Not Ohio? Michigan Institute Calls for Feed-in Tariffs at Municipal Utility

    Paul Gipe wrote last week that  the Michigan Land Institute has proposed that Traverse City Light & Power implement a system of feed-in tariffs to wean the municipal utility from its dependence on coal.

    Traverse City Light & Power is a municipal utility serving the small town of 15,000 in the "little finger" of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Traverse City is the largest town in a 14-country region. The utility is better known for installing one of the first, if not the first, municipally-owned, commercial-scale wind turbines in 1996. The utility has done little with renewable energy since that pioneering project.

    The Institute, a Traverse City non-profit, urged the utility's board of directors to both implement an aggressive program of energy efficiency and launch a program to develop clean sources of energy, including wind, solar, and biomass.

    The Land Institute's recommendations are contained in a report titled 20-20 by 2020: a Clear Vision for Clean Energy Prosperity. The report, among other recommendations, urges the utility's board to adopt feed-in tariffs to encourage locally-owned wind and solar energy. The Institute argues that feed-in tariffs, in contrast to tax subsidies, allows both non-profits and profit-making enterprises to participate. Through feed-in tariffs, says the Land Institute, the utility need not raise its own capital to build solar and wind projects in the community, the utility's ratepayers make the investment themselves and revenues they earn return directly to the community where they live.

    If Traverse City Light & Power moves on the recommendations, the utility would be following in the footsteps of Gainesville Regional Utilities, a Florida municipal utility that launched a highly regarded solar feed-in tariff in 2009.

    Why Not Ohio? It's because we have a current pro-dirty coal and nuke Governor in Ted Strickland who will not go the extra mile to encourage locally-owned wind and solar energy. When you are a puppet to dirty-coal and nuke lobbyists like Ted Strickland is, saving the planet is not a concern.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/4/10

    Why Not Ohio? Wind is 20Pecent of Iowa's Energy

    The Center of Rural Affairs last week reported wind energy accounts for up to 20 percent of Iowa's total electricity production, and is helping to keep the state's power costs among the lowest in the nation.


    Authors of the study said it debunks arguments that alternative energy and other measures to combat climate change are too expensive. The study was conducted by the Iowa Policy Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization based in Iowa City.

    The study found that wind produced 3,670 megawatts of electricity in the state. If that power were used solely within the state it would produce enough electricity to power 940,000 homes roughly three-quarters of the state's homes.

    The study noted that MidAmerican Energy is one of the most aggressive utility companies in the nation on wind energy, securing approval in December to install another 1,001 megawatts of production.

    Iowa continues to rank second to Texas in wind production in the United States, the study found.

    Coal-fired plants produce about 75 percent of the state's electricity, and there is one nuclear plant in the state.

    In examining electricity costs, the study found that Iowans paid about 6 cents per kilowatt hour in 1998. That climbed to 7 cents per kilowatt hour by 2008. Over the same time period, national average electricity costs went from 7 cents per kilowatt hour to nearly 10 cents.

    Why not Ohio? Why doesn't Ohio look to reach double-digit use of wind power? It's because Ohio continues to be led by Ted Strickland, a governor who is controlled by the dirty coal and nuke power lobbysists in the state.

    It's time we elect a Green Party Governor who will say NO to dirty energy lobbyists and embrace real clean, green renewable energy!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/3/10

    Why Ohio? Why Do So Many In Ohio Receive Food Assistance?

    Every week last year, 225,700 Ohioans received emergency food assistance from a pantry, soup kitchen or similar service.

    A report released today by the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks illustrates the recession's devastating impact on the state.

    In all, more than 1.4 million Ohioans received emergency food assistance at least once, and often more frequently, in 2009.

    That's a jump of 18 percent from three years ago, the report found.

    40 percent of those surveyed in Ohio say they must choose between food and medicine or other health care needs. Thirty-one percent have at least one household member in poor health."

    Among the other findings:

    * More than a third of those receiving assistance are children.

    * 32 percent of households include at least one employed adult.

    * Half of those surveyed say they have had to choose between buying food and paying for utilities.

    The report is heartbreaking. Yet it underscores the fact that Ted Strickland's campaign to bring jobs back to Ohio is not working. We need to turn Ohio forward in the way we market the state and go after new blue-green jobs.

    Ted Strickland's plan to cut more state funding for social programs underscores the need for more increased state revenues instead of Ted's current campaign of axing more social programs. The poor can no longer afford to have Ted Strickland in office another four years.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    4/2/10

    How to Turn Ohio Green

    We need a mixture of tax credits, grants and additional incentives to make bring
    green manufacturing jobs to the state. We currently have a public utilities
    property tax still on the books and it is a hindrance in luring solar companies
    to Ohio.

    Ohio continues to subsidize coal. Of the $150 million set aside to provide
    grants and loans that typically range between $50,000 and $2 million for
    advanced energy projects, $66 million was designated for "clean" coal
    technology. Per the Ohio Constitution, state funding for coal projects can be in
    the form of grants, but funding for other alternative energy projects, such as
    solar, must be in the form of loans.

    Why is Ohio lagging behind? The answer is simple, and it comes from Ted
    Strickland's own mouth:

    "Ohio been a passive state for quite a while, and this is just one of them," Mr.
    Strickland said. "There was just no real[effort] pursuing alternative-energy
    companies."

    We need a proactive governor to bring Green jobs to Ohio. ..

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary May 4th!

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    4/1/10

    Why Not Ohio? Michigan Encourages Solar Development

    The Ohio Sierra Club reported this week  that Ohio's outdated tax law is actually deterring companies from bringing renewables the state. A solar array or wind farm in Michigan pays about one-seventh the taxes that the same facility would pay if it were located in Ohio. The current tax law was written decades before wind and solar technologies were commonplace. Modernizing our state's energy sector also requires modernizing the tax laws so that Ohio solar and wind companies have a fair playing field.

    It's time Ohio supports tax abatements for wind and solar!

    Unfortunately, Ohio's big energy companies are pushing the legislature to give the same tax breaks to the already heavily subsidized coal and nuclear industry.

    We want more support for wind and solar in Ohio - not new nuclear or coal plants! 

    While coal and nuclear have been receiving public subsidies and government support for years, renewable technologies remain under-supported. Reducing the tax burden for wind and solar technologies will allow Ohio to catch up with surrounding states, making our state truly clean and green!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http:://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/31/10

    Why Not Ohio? Colorado's New Renewable Energy Standard Among Nation's Strongest

    From the Apollo Alliance last week:

    Colorado's New Renewable Energy Standard Among Nation's Strongest

    Though the pace of federal action on climate and clean energy issues continues to lag, states across the nation are keeping up the momentum with strong legislation on a diversity of clean energy fronts. Colorado topped the list this week by adopting a renewable energy standard (RES) that requires 30 percent of the state's energy to come from renewable sources like solar and wind by 2020. Colorado's RES, which also promotes rooftop solar by requiring three percent of the renewable energy to be acquired through distributed generation, is among the strongest in the nation.

    "I salute the dedication and commitment of all lawmakers who support the expanded use of renewable resources and cleaner-burning natural gas," said Colorado Governor Bill Ritter in an op-ed that ran on Sunday in The Pueblo Chieftain. "The energy of our future generations will be cleaner and more sustainable because of their vision and their leadership. Colorado's workforce will usher in a new era of economic opportunity to compete in and be a leader in a fast-changing world."

    Not only will the Colorado RES create strong demand for renewable energy, it also includes several provisions that will ensure that clean energy jobs are good jobs. One provision requires that a certain ratio of workers on solar installation projects be certified solar installers. According to Charlie Montgomery of the Colorado Environmental Coalition, who is also active with the Colorado Apollo Alliance, community colleges and apprenticeship programs in the state will prepare workers to take the certification test available through the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP). Certified workers bring a high level of competency to their work and can usually demand higher pay than uncertified workers.

    "This new law will provide safe, quality photovoltaic installations and create green careers for Colorado's working families," said Mary Broderick, renewable energy and marketing agent with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 68, which will help train a new generation of solar installers.

    The bill also requires Colorado's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to consider job quality and community economic impacts when it considers proposals to build new electricity resources. Whereas in the past, the PUC was required to analyze a proposed project's cost effectiveness, now the PUC must also consider such factors as the project's ratio of in-state workers to out-of-state workers; the availability of long-term career opportunities; and the wages, health care and pension benefits being provided by the utility or company proposing the project.

     

    Why not Ohio? If Ohio is to be the leader in renewable energy, we should have the strongest standard in the nation. But Ted Strickland can't commit to that, because he is in the back pockets of dirty coal and nuke lobbyists.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/30/10

    What is Wrong With The Obama Health Bill

    Rose Ann DeMoro, Executive Director of the 150,000 member National Nurses Untied, wrote last week: 

    Unlike Social Security and Medicare which expanded a public safety net, this bill requires people -- in the midst of the mass unemployment and the worse economic downturn since the Great Depression -- to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket to big private companies for a product that may or may not provide health coverage in return.

    Too many people will remain uninsured, individual and family healthcare costs will continue to rise largely unabated and private insurers will still be able to deny claims with little recourse for patients.

    If, as the President and his supporters insist, the bill is just a start, let's hold them to that promise. Let's see the same resolve and mobilization from legislators and constituency groups who pushed through this bill to go farther, and achieve a permanent, lasting solution to our healthcare crisis with universal, guaranteed healthcare by expanding and improving Medicare to cover everyone.

    Leaders of the National Nurses United have raised many of these concerns about the legislation for months. But, sadly, as the healthcare bill moved closer to final passage, the space for genuine debate and critique of the bill's very real limitations was largely squeezed out.

    Much of the fault lies with the far right, from the streets to the airwaves to some legislators that steadily escalated from deliberate misrepresentations to fear mongering to racial epithets to hints of threatened violence against bill supporters.

    For its part, the administration and its major supporters shut out advocates of more far reaching reform, while vilifying critics on the left.

    Both trends are troubling for democracy, as is the pervasive corruption of corporate lobbying that so clearly influenced the language of the bill. Insurers, drug companies, and other corporate lobbyists shattered all records for federal influence peddling and were rewarded with a bill that largely protected their interests, along with a Supreme Court ruling that will allow corporations, including the health care industry, to spend unlimited sums in federal elections.

    Rightwing opponents fought as hard to block this legislation as they would have against a Medicare for all plan. As more Americans recognize the bill does not resemble the distortions peddled by the right, and become disappointed by their rising medical bills and ongoing fights with insurers for needed care, there will be new opportunity to press the case for real reform. Next time, let's get it done right
    .

    Let's Support Single-Payer Health Care for Ohio!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/29/10

    Why Ohio Needs Single-Payer: Where Obama's Bill Falls Short

    Ohio still needs Single-Payer Health Care because President Obama's plan falls short of the mark.

    Rose Ann DeMoro, Executive Director of the 150,000 member National Nurses Untied, wrote last week: 


    * The mandate forcing people without coverage to buy insurance. Coupled with the subsidies for other moderate-income working people not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid, the result is a gift worth hundreds of billions of dollars to reward the very insurance industry that created the present crisis through price gouging, care denials, and other abuses.

    * Inadequate healthcare cost controls for individuals and families.

    1. Insurance premiums will continue to climb. Proponents touted a "robust" public option to keep the insurers "honest," but that proposal was scuttled. After Anthem Blue Cross of California
    announced 39 percent premium hikes, the administration promised to crack down with a federal rate insurance authority, an idea also dropped from the bill.

    2. There is no standard benefits package, only a circumspect reference that benefits should be "comparable to" current employer-provided plans.

    3. An illusory limit on out-of-pocket medical expenses. But even in the regulated state exchanges, insurers remain in control of what they offer and what will be a covered service. Insurers are likely to design plans to attract healthier customers, and many enrollees will likely find the federal guarantees do not protect them for medical treatments they actually need.

    * No meaningful restrictions on claims denials
    insurers don't want to pay for. Proponents cite a review process on denials, but the "internal review process" remains in the hands of the insurers, and the "external" review will be up to the states, many of which have systems now in place that are dominated by the insurance industry with little enforcement mechanism.

    * Significant loopholes in the much touted insurance reforms:

    1. Provisions permitting insurers and companies to more than double charges to employees who fail "wellness" programs because they have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol readings, or other medical conditions.

    2. Permitting insurers to sell policies "across state
    lines," exempting patient protections passed in other states. Insurers will likely set up in the least regulated states in a race to the bottom threatening public protections won by consumers in various states.

    3. Allowing insurers to charge three times more based on age plus more for certain conditions, and continue to use marketing techniques to cherry-pick healthier, less costly enrollees.

    4. Insurers may continue to rescind policies, drop coverage, for "fraud or intentional misrepresentation" -- the main pretext insurance companies now use.

    * Taxing health benefits for the first time. Though modified, the tax on benefits remains, a 40 percent tax on plans whose value exceeds $10,200 for individuals or $27,500 for families. With no real checks on premium hikes, many plans will reach that amount by the start date, 2018, rapidly. The result will be more cost shifting from employers to workers and more people switching to skeletal plans that leave them vulnerable to financial ruin.

    * Erosion of women's reproductive rights, with a new executive order from the President enshrining a deal to get the votes of anti-abortion Democrats and a burdensome segregation of funds, that in practice will likely mean few insurers will cover abortion and perhaps other reproductive medical services.

    * A windfall for pharmaceutical giants. Through a deal with the White House, the administration blocked provisions to give the government more power to negotiate drug prices and gave the name brand drug makers 12 years of marketing monopoly against competition from generic competition on biologic drugs, including cancer treatments.

    Most critically, the bill strengthens the economic and political power of a private insurance-based system based on profit rather than patient need.

    That's why I support the Health-Care for All Ohioans Act=Ohio needs a health care system that will work for all Ohioans!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/28/10
     
    Why are Ted Strickland and John Kasich Against Food Safety?

    Ohio residents are becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of

    the food supply.The proposed Ohio farm animal welfare ballot

    measure would encourage the industry to transition towards raising

    animals in a healthier manner for both animals and people. Extreme

    intensive confinement means more
    Salmonella and more risk to

    rural communities and the environment. Like other factory farming

    practices—such as the routine feeding of antibiotics or slaughterhouse

    waste to farm animals—forcing to slaughter cows and calves who are

    too sick to even stand can also have grave public health implications.

    Ohio voters should have  the opportunity this November to send a

    clear signal that factory farm profits shouldn’t trump the welfare

    of animals or the health of Ohioans or their environment by voting yes

    on the Ohio farm animal welfare ballot measure.


    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/27/10

    How to Fix Ohio's Budget Mess

    There's only one fair way to fix Ohio's budget mess, although Ted Strickland and John Kasich are both not man enough to do or say it: Raise Revenues.

    I would restructure the 2005 tax changes that lowered income taxes for wealthy taxpayers. The Office of Budget and Management says reversing just one year of the income tax cuts would bring in $422 million dollars. To help low-income households, raise the amount households can make before owing an income tax. Implement an Ohio Earned Income Tax Credit system like the Federal EITC. Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia have this credit in place, which would bring low-income families out of poverty.
    Raise the Commercial Activity Tax: revenues would allow for paying schedule reimbursements as well as add money to the General Revenue Fund. This could raise at least $50 million for the state.
    Retain some of the income tax portion of the corporate franchise tax. Retaining at least 1/5 of it's former rate would give the state at least $200 million per year.

     

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidtae for Ohio Governor

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, call 330-503-1407

    3/26/10

    Physicians For Single-Payer Health Care

    From the Physicians For a National Health Care Program on the current federal health care bill apsted this past Sunday:

    ==============================================

    This bill's passage reflects political considerations, not sound health policy. As physicians, we cannot accept this inversion of priorities. We seek evidence-based remedies that will truly help our patients, not placebos.

    A genuine remedy is in plain sight. Sooner rather than later, our nation will have to adopt a single-payer national health insurance program, an improved Medicare for all. Only a single-payer plan can assure truly universal, comprehensive and affordable care to all.

    By replacing the private insurers with a streamlined system of public financing, our nation could save $400 billion annually in unnecessary, wasteful administrative costs. That's enough to cover all the uninsured and to upgrade everyone else's coverage without having to increase overall U.S. health spending by one penny.

    Moreover, only a single-payer system offers effective tools for cost control like bulk purchasing, negotiated fees, global hospital budgeting and capital planning.

    Polls show nearly two-thirds of the public supports such an approach, and a recent survey shows 59 percent of U.S. physicians support government action to establish national health insurance. All that is required to achieve it is the political will.

    The major provisions of the present bill do not go into effect until 2014. Although we will be counseled to "wait and see" how this reform plays out, we cannot wait, nor can our patients. The stakes are too high.

    We pledge to continue our work for the only equitable, financially responsible and humane remedy for our health care mess: single-payer national health insurance, an expanded and improved Medicare for All.

    ================================================

    This is why Ohioans need the Health Care for All Ohioans Act passed. We need a sound program for healthcare here in the Buckeye state. Ted Strickland does not support health care for all, he supports keeping the current program of high deductibles, high premiums, high co-pays, and high priced insurance companies operating in Ohio. I call for Single-payer healthc are NOW!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    3/25/10

    Move Ohio Forward: Single-Payer Health Care for the Buckeye State

    In time to move Ohio into the 21st century with Sigle-Payer Health Care for all Ohioans. The Obama plan does not work and does not do enough!

    It's time we establish single-payer healthcare in Ohio. The only 4 NOS you will hear:No Co-payments, No Deductibles, No Premiums, No One Excluded. You go to your personal physician for a visit. You pay nothing. The doctor bills the Ohio Health Care Fund (OHCF) You have prescriptions filled by the pharmacist. You pay nothing. the pharmacist bills OHCF. You need hospitalization. You pay nothing. The hospital is paid by the OHCF. 

    You sleep better. Your health care is secure. You no longer have to worry about losing your health care coverage if you lose or change your job. Your employer no longer has to worry about the ever-increasing costs of health care. You no longer have to worry about ever-increasing deductibles and co-payments.

    This is what Ohio needs for the 21st Century.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

     

    3/24/10

    Ted Strickland Says he Supports Health Care Reform, Yet He Still Backs Big Health Care Insurance Companies

    Ted Strickland sent the following e-mail out earlier this week:

    "There's so much more we have to do in order to fight for Ohio's middle class. But health care reform is a historic and important step. As Governor, I will continue to stand up against those who seek to eliminate reform."

    But in 2009, Ted Strickland's office issued the following statement about making sure huge insurance companies were protected:

    "Cleveland.com story which cites the following report: A Strickland spokeswoman said that the governor, a Democrat, thinks a government-run plan "should be affordable so it creates true competition without risking running health insurance companies out of business."

    So, where do you really stand on health care, Ted?  Do you support true reform or do you support protecting health insurance companies like Medical Mutual who give you $10,000 in campaign contributions?

    As Green Party of Ohio Candidate for Governor, I support The Health Care for All Ohioans Act, bringing single-payer health care to all Ohioans, not just a few. I won't protect money grabbing insurance companies like Ted Strickland will!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

     
     
     
     

    3/23/10

    Will Ted Strickland Say NO to Murray Coal?

    Murray Energy, Ohio's largest coal mining company, wants to divert a pristine, high-quality stream from its course in Belmont County and transform the dry streambed into an artificial storage lake for billions of gallons of dirty coal slurry. Murray's current slurry impoundment has released toxic slurry repeatedly over the past decade into nearby streams.

    Slurry is a waste product formed when coal is "washed" with water and chemicals to remove rock and impurities. In January, the U.S. EPA declared its opposition to the project as currently proposed, saying it will have "substantial and unacceptable adverse impacts

    What stance will Ted Strickland take? Will he oppose it, or support it?

    As the Green Party candidate for Governor-I stand with the EPA and declare my opposition to the project. Let's see if Ted Strickland is man enough to do the same, or will he cave into his dirty coal lobbyists and support the project?

    Dennis Spisak

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    3/22/10

    Go Green! America Could Produce 12 times More Wind Power

    From Green Options:

    A recent study from the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) suggests that the continental U.S. has the potential to produce 37 million gigawatt-hours of electricity from wind power each year. That’s a huge leap from the 52,026 gigawatt-hours we used in 2008.

    This study was just looking at potential for wind energy, but it’s exciting news for the wind industry regardless. It certainly makes bills requiring a high percentage of renewable energy from utilities like this one in Colorado seem much more doable!

    Of course, the problem with wind is the same problem you run into with any renewable: storage. Wind is intermittent, and in order for us to effectively incorporate renewables into our power supply on any sort of large scale, we need a way to store excess power for the times when the wind’s not blowing. Battery technology has come a long way, and it’s looking like there are some really promising solutions in development on that front.

    Between the potential energy payoff, advances in battery technology, and improvements in the turbines themselves, maybe we ought to be throwing more research dollars at wind power?

    A Green Party governor would support more research dollars for wind power and not more dollars for dirty coal and nuke plants like Ted Strickland does.

    Dennis S. Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/21/10

    A Single-Payer Healthcare System For Ohio

    The Green Party of Ohio supports the Health Care for All Ohioans Act.

    Under this single-payer system, all Americans would be covered for all medically necessary services, including: doctor, hospital, preventive, long-term care, mental health, reproductive health care, dental, vision, prescription drug and medical supply costs. Patients would regain free choice of doctor and hospital, and doctors would regain autonomy over patient care.

    Physicians would be paid fee-for-service according to a negotiated formulary or receive salary from a hospital or nonprofit HMO / group practice. Hospitals would receive a global budget for operating expenses. Health facilities and expensive equipment purchases would be managed by regional health planning boards.

    A single-payer system would be financed by eliminating private insurers and recapturing their administrative waste. Modest new taxes would replace premiums and out-of-pocket payments currently paid by individuals and business. Costs would be controlled through negotiated fees, global budgeting and bulk purchasing.

    Ted Strickland will keep the current system of healthcare in Ohio. I call for Single-Payer Healthcare for all Ohioans.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Primary on May 4th!

    formore info,contact 330-503-1407.

    3/20/10

    Why Not Ohio? Conn. would waive student loans in 'green' jobs

    From the AP last week:

    HARTFORD, Conn. — Paul Goulet hopes Connecticut will help him get from under nearly $8,000 he's borrowed for college after losing his job in a paper manufacturing plant.

    Goulet, 55, is a student in environmental studies at Goodwin College in East Hartford, aiming to find work in wastewater treatment. State legislation that would waive thousands of dollars in loans would benefit him and other students who earn degrees or certificates in green technology and other jobs.

    "Everything I've taken out since October is on the student loan program," he said. "Any little bit would help, especially with the job market the way it is."

    Loan forgiveness programs aren't new — states use them to entice medical professionals to rural areas, steer teachers to certain subject areas and attract farmers to local agriculture.

    The legislation comes as the White House is emphasizing the importance of green works and job creation. President Barack Obama announced in January $2.3 billion in tax credits — to be paid for from last year's $787 billion stimulus package — that he said would create 17,000 green jobs. The money will go to projects including solar, wind and energy management.

    Connecticut's proposal could break new ground. Trying to boost its work force in high-growth green technology, life sciences and health information technology, the state would annually forgive as much as $2,500 of federal and state education loans for up to four years, or 5 percent of loans, whichever is less.

    To qualify, students must earn a bachelor's or associate's degree and work in Connecticut for at least two years.

    Joan McDonald, economic development commissioner, said Connecticut is seeking to boost its population of young workers.

    "What we're doing here is to encourage people to come here and stay here," she said.

    The legislation, which would earmark $6 million, cites green technology, life science and health information technology because prospects are good for job growth in those industries and Connecticut is home to employers in fuel cell technology, pharmaceutical products and other high-tech industries, she said.

    The bill is not a sure thing in the legislature. Members of the House-Senate Committee on Higher Education and Employment Advancement will decide by March 16 whether to bring it up for a vote, said Sen. Mary Ann Handley, co-chairwoman of the committee.

    Retraining unemployed workers is the focus of another bill that would provide more immediate help to the jobless, she said.

    "We need to think about what direction to go," Handley said.

    ===================================================

    Why not Ohio? What is Ted Strickland doing to keep Green jobs and students in Ohio?

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

     
     
     
     
     
     

    3/19/10

    Why Not Ohio? Indiana Graduates First Green Technicians

    Last Monday, the Apollo Alliance was proud to co-sponsor an event honoring the first "Green Technician" graduates of an Indianapolis training program run by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 481 and the National Electrical Contractors Association of Central Indiana. After receiving their certifications, the newly minted Green Technicians displayed an array of solar panels and a wind turbine they recently installed at the Electrical Training Institute, where they received their instruction.

    "Each graduate of the Green Technician program will be an Industry Certified Technician, ready to work on anything from windmills to retrofits of existing buildings that need to become more energy efficient. We are incredibly proud of their achievement," said Jim Patterson, director of the Electrical Training Institute.

    The green technician training program is an apprenticeship program that includes classroom instruction and on-the-job training. Apprentices are paid during the course of their training.

    Why Not Ohio? Why are other states getting the jump on us in creating 21st century green technology jobs? Why are other states building more 21st century green manufacturing jobs quicker than Ohio?

    The reason is Ted Strickland is passive when it comes to embracing Green Technologies. TellStrickland will always be a Dirty Coal and Nuke Governor first. We need a Green Party Governor to bring Green Technology jobs quicker to the Buckeye State.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    3/18/10

    Thank Ted Strickland: Ohio Has 3 Of The Dirtiest Coal Plants in Nation For Mercury Pollution

    In a story from yesterday's Columbus Dispatch:

    Three Ohio power plants are among the top 50 "dirtiest" in the U.S. for the mercury they emit from their smokestacks, according to a report released today.

    American Electric Power's Gavin plant along the Ohio River in Gallia County more than doubled its output, emitting 937 pounds of mercury in 2008 compared to 435 pounds it released in 2007.

    That was enough to rank Gavin 12 on the Environmental Integrity Project's list.

    The Washington D.C.-based advocacy group used pollution data on 467 coal fired power plants that utilities report each year to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's toxic release inventory to compile its rankings. AEP's Conesville plant in Coshocton County, pictured above, was No. 14 on the list with 898 pounds of mercury emitted.

    FirstEnergy's Sammis plant, along the Ohio River in Jefferson County ranked No. 44 with 498 pounds of mercury in 2008. Mercury is linked to nerve and kidney damage in children and is linked to brain damage and mental retardation in fetuses.

    The U.S. EPA considers coal fired power plants "the largest human-caused source of mercury emissions to the air in the United States."

    It's one of the most common pollutants found in Ohio's lakes, streams and fish. That's prompted a statewide Ohio EPA advisory that residents should eat no more than one meal of locally caught fish per week.

    And Ted Strickland is a "Green" Governor? Thanks to Ted Strickland being in bed with the dirty coal lobbyists Ohio continues to pollute the air and streams of this great state with mercury. And it will only get worse with Ted Strickland as Governor, Ted propses to keep 75% of Ohio's power sources to remain coal fired plants. It's time we elect a Green Party Governor to Ohio to help clean our state's natural resources.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/17/10

    Ted Strickland & John Kasich: Both Supporters of Big Agribusiness

    Ohioans for Humane Farms is spearheading a new, citizen-backed ballot initiative to prevent some of the cruelest factory farming practices in Ohio.

    The measure will require the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to adopt certain minimum standards that will prevent animal cruelty, improve health and food safety, support family farms and safeguard the environment throughout the state of Ohio.

    But wait, both Ted Strickland and John Kasich oppose the Ohioans for Humane Farms. Why? because both support Big Agribusiness, who in turn, support both Ted and John with hefty campaign contributions.

    Ted and John haven't met a coroporate donor they didn't like. That's why they both oppose the Ohioans for Humane Farms, yet support Dirty Coal and Nuke Plants. There is no difference between Ted aand John. Both are true conservatives!

    It's time we elect a Governor who stands with and for the safety of the people. It's time we elect a Green Party Governor who supports the Ohioans for Humane Farms.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407.

    3/16/10

    Why Not Ohio? Colorado Sets New Energy Economic Program

    Advancing Colorado's New Energy Economy
      Mar 11, 2010 Denver Post  

    By Gov. Bill Ritter Jr.

    Congratulations to the state legislature for giving final approval this week to landmark legislation that keeps Colorado at the epicenter of America's New Energy Economy and once again demonstrates how we are transforming the country's energy, economic and environmental future.

    House Bill 1001 requires our largest utility companies to generate 30 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. Our new 30 percent standard will be the best in the Rocky Mountain West and one of the highest nationally.

    More importantly, it will continue to position Colorado as a national pace-setter for creating jobs, strengthening our economy and protecting our environment.

    We are leading America toward a clean energy future by strengthening our ability to compete nationally and internationally for service and manufacturing jobs. We are spurring new innovations and new energy technologies. We are moving closer to energy independence by expanding homegrown energy supplies. And we are ensuring stable, reliable, sustainable and affordable energy for all Coloradans.

    HB 1001 is just the latest step in our ambitious efforts to build a New Energy Economy here in Colorado. Our commitment to a clean energy future has attracted companies like Vestas, the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines, and SMA Solar, one of the world's leading producers of solar inverters. These two companies are adding up to 3,200 Colorado jobs to the state's workforce.

    And they aren't alone. Innovative companies like Solix Biofuels and Abound Solar are spinning out of our research universities. Firms like Ascent Solar, Siemens Wind, RePower, SunRun and Solar City are providing new opportunities, strengthening communities and changing the state's economic landscape.

    We've also linked Colorado State University, the University of Colorado, and the Colorado School of Mines to form a unique "collaboratory" with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden. Thanks to this unique, cutting-edge collaborative effort, Colorado is now home to the best energy research corridor in the world.

    With Xcel Energy's support, HB 1001 will allow us to advance this New Energy Economy, in large part by expanding the use of distributed or local renewable energy such as rooftop solar. We anticipate the new 30 percent renewable energy standard will lead to large-scale clean energy projects and at least 100,000 additional solar rooftops over the next decade. The benefit of rooftop solar is that it doesn't need expensive, long-range transmission systems.

    The legislation also provides a statutory framework that will not increase costs to consumers. In fact, because of the success of our New Energy Economy, we have seen prices come down in renewable energy, allowing for even greater purchasing power.

    While no state or nation has been immune to the global recession, Colorado's New Energy Economy has been our brightest light. We now have the fourth-highest concentration of renewable energy and energy research jobs in the country. With the passage of HB 1001, this sector will only grow stronger and stronger.

    ================================================

    Why Not Ohio? Because Ted Strickland is tied to closely to Dirty Coal and Nuke Lobbyists. As long as Ted Strickland is Governor, we will continue to see Green Jobs go to Colorado and not come to Ohio.

    That's why we need a Green Party Governor in Ohio.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info: contact 330-503-1407.

    3/15/10

    89,000 New Foreclosures in Ohio in 2009

    Sixty-four of Ohio's 88 counties saw an increase in
    foreclosure filings last year, and in 34 counties, filings
    grew by double-digit rates. While urban counties continue to
    lead the state in foreclosure filings, smaller and less
    urban counties are experiencing larger growth rates.

    A new report released today by Policy Matters Ohio analyzes
    foreclosure filings and other housing trends in Ohio and its
    counties. Statewide, foreclosure filings continued to grow
    in 2009 with 89,053 new foreclosure filings, a 3.8 percent
    increase since 2008. Compared to ten years ago, when Ohio
    had 31,229 new foreclosures, this is a 185 percent increase.
    The latest numbers indicate that there was one foreclosure
    filing for every 56 housing units in the state last year.

    The gain in filings is particularly crippling to the state,
    coming after years of increased filings and the broadest
    foreclosure prevention attempts to date, according to the
    study. Statewide, filings have more than quintupled since
    1995.The study reviews federal efforts such as the HAMP
    program to curb foreclosures, finding dismal results. Nearly
    one-third of Ohio mortgage holders are "under water", owing
    more than their houses are worth, and one in every six
    homeowners is either delinquent or in foreclosure.

    Foreclosures and their impacts on homeowners and communities can be reduced by requiring that lenders and borrowers go through mandatory mediation, by creating a disincentive to foreclosure by requiring banks to pay to properly maintain homes they foreclose on, and by giving foreclosed homeowners the right to rent their homes for some years after foreclosure. Strengthening state enforcement against fraud and other abuses, while giving whistleblower protections to employees at lending institutions, will further help deter predatory and fraudulent practices.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate For Ohio Governor

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info: contact 330-503-1407


    Why Not Ohio? Time To Say No to Coal Slurry

    Several years ago, Ohio's biggest coal mining company asked for permission to drain a pristine stream and fill it instead with coal slurry, a mixture of water, chemicals, and coal mining waste. In 2008, Ohio EPA rightly told Murray Energy to go back to the drawing board1.

    So what's Murray Energy's "new" plan for 2010? Drain a pristine stream and fill it with dirty coal slurry -- again. And this time, the company threatens to start firing people if it doesn't get its way.

    We can't allow corporations to bully our elected officials who are trying to do the right thing. The Ohio EPA stood strong in 2008. Now, Ohio EPA must stand strong again.


    The choice between decent jobs and clean water is false; in order to regain its economic edge, Ohio must move beyond coal to clean energy in the coming years and decades. Turning a pure freshwater stream into a huge toxic coal slurry impoundment is a giant step in the wrong direction.

    We need a Green Party Governor for Ohio in 2010 who is for Renewable Clean Energy, not Dirty Coal Energy that Governor Strickland backs!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Upset the Setup-Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/13/10
    Why Ohio Needs a Green Party Governor and Single-Payer Health Care

    A new analysis of the health insurance market by Goldman Sachs shows big insurance companies are taking advantage of limited competition by aggressively raising premiums and other costs on consumers. Over the last several years, the health insurance industry has become increasingly concentrated–giving consumers fewer and fewer meaningful choices in shopping for health insurance. According to a recent study by the AMA, there have been more than 400 mergers among health insurers in the past 14 years.

    In fact, Goldman Sachs is recommending that investors buy shares in two big insurance companies – the UnitedHealth Group and Cigna – because the potential for profit is high.

    This report comes on top of recent news reports showing insurance company monthly premium increases in the double-digits in several states–just yesterday, Illinois residents discovered they will be paying as much as 60 percent more. As part of the larger effort to reform health insurance industry practices, the House passed the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act last month to repeal the blanket antitrust exemption afforded to health insurance companies. Under the bill, health insurers will no longer be shielded from legal accountability for price fixing, dividing up territories among themselves, sabotaging their competitors in order to gain monopoly power, and other such anti-competitive practices.

    This is why Ohio needs a Green Party Governor who will fight for the Health Care for All Ohioans Act. We need protection from insurance companies, but Ted Strickland is in bed with the Insurance Lobbyists who fill his re-election coffers with huge campaign donations. Ted Strickland will keep Health Insurance Companies in business to keep raising premiums and costs for Ohio Consumers. I will fight for everyday Ohioans for single-payer health coverage!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor

    Upset the setup! Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.org

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    3/12/10

    Why Not Ohio? Oregon's solar future could hinge on copying Germany


    =================================================== 

    In Freiberg, Germany, a florist sells flowers on a snowy street in January. The 800-year old medieval town, the industrial center of the former communist East Germany, maintains its historic character surrounded by old castle walls and a moat. Not long ago, the town had a 20 percent unemployment rate, but today the solar industry has brought new jobs and related businesses. FREIBERG, Germany -- Head to the eastern edge of Germany, go down a two-lane road, pass the castle walls of this medieval town, and you'll find a glimmer of Oregon's future.
     
    New solar factories rise atop snow-covered hills. High-tech businesses snag workers for miles around. On rooftops and farmland, solar panels fire electricity into the utility grid.
     
    In Germany, a decade of national policies and billions in government subsidies fuel a burgeoning solar industry, creating 230,000 jobs and putting it on track to lead the world's emerging - and lucrative - clean-tech sector.
     
    It's a dream scenario for Oregon leaders, in a high-stakes bid to grow their own "solar forest." And they intend to follow Germany's path - practically step by step.
     
    In the coming months, Oregon will test a new incentive program that takes after the German subsidy called a feed-in tariff, which requires utility companies to pay residents for generating electricity on rooftop solar systems.
     
    Businesses, too, will be able to tap into the perk, which could provide a return over 15 years for investing in solar, still one of the most expensive forms of energy around.
     
    Already, hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits are riding on businesses such as SolarWorld, a leading German manufacturer with North America's largest solar plant, in Hillsboro. 
     
    Still, Oregonians can look to Germany to see where this green gamble might end up.
     
    "If you talk about solar, you talk about Germany," said Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, whose visits there shape a sun-powered vision. "We may never emulate Germany, but the economics of it is something to learn from.

    ====================================================

    Here we have ANOTHER Governor praising Feed-In Tariff laws. Why not Ted Strickland? Is it because Ted Strickland is in way too deep with dirty coal and nuke lobbyists? As Green Party candidate for Ohio governor, I will make it a priority that Ohio residents have a chance of receiving a payment credit for using solar power in their homes and businesses.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

     

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!


    For more info, contact 330-503-1407.

    3/11/10

    Ted Strickland Stops 1,500 Jobs From Entering Ohio

    One only has to read Monday's Toledo Blade article on solar power in Ohio to see that Ted Strickland is not the "Green" Governor he positions himself to be.

    According to the article:

    =======================================================

    Norm Johnson,, chairman of the nonprofit group Ohio Advanced Energy, vice chairman of Germany's Calyxo GmbH, and chief executive of its North American subsidiary, said Mr. Strickland is to blame for Ohioans not having thousands more jobs in the solar industry right now.

    He said the governor hasn't moved quickly enough to create a market for solar panels in Ohio and has left the door open for German and Chinese companies to sell their products here once more customers begin buying solar panels.

    "While our industry has received excellent help from [U.S. Rep.] Marcy Kaptur, we've received mediocre help from Ted Strickland," Mr. Johnston said.

    His primary complaint is the Strickland administration's rejection of his $750 million proposal to build 30 solar fields - each capable of producing at least 10 megawatts of electricity - on cleaned-up industrial sites throughout the state.

    The plan, put forth by Ohio Advanced Energy, included an estimate of 1,500 jobs immediately and called for the project to be funded by federal stimulus dollars, state-issued bonds, and other methods

    =======================================================

    While Ted Strickland won't help solar companies with funding, but Ted will bend over backwards to help Nuke and Dirty Coal Plants get funding in Ohio. That's why Ohio has only created 8,000 solar jobs in Ohio, while states like Michigan and New Jersey have created some 13, 000 and 16, 000 respectively!TEd Strickland is not a "Green Energy" Governor!

    It's time we elect a Green Party Governor to get Solar Power untracked here in the Buckeye State!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor!

    Upset the setup! Vote Green in the May 4th Ohio Primary!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    3/10/10

    Why Not Ohio? Because Ted Strickland Has Dropped The Ball When It Comes To Solar Power

    The first two paragraph's of Sunday's Toledo Blade Investigative reports on Ohio's lack of success in luring solar power to the Buckeye state says it all:

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Toledo and its northwest Ohio neighbors have missed out on coveted manufacturing jobs in the solar industry because of a failure by state officials to attract companies with tax incentives or create a viable market for solar panels in Ohio, a Blade investigation shows.

    Since 2007, thousands of those jobs have gone to states where companies were enticed by a mixture of tax credits, grants, and additional incentives to make solar products there.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

    The Blade also reported that:

    A public utilities property tax is still on the books and is a hindrance in luring solar companies to Ohio.

    Ohio continues to subsidize coal. Of the $150 million set aside to provide grants and loans that typically range between $50,000 and $2 million for advanced energy projects, $66 million was designated for "clean" coal technology. Per the Ohio Constitution, state funding for coal projects can be in the form of grants, but funding for other alternative energy projects, such as solar, must be in the form of loans.

    California has 140 solar manufacturers, and Arizona (37), Florida (26), New York (23), New Jersey (21), Massachusetts (21), Colorado (20), Texas (19), New Mexico (18), Illinois (15), Michigan (15), Pennsylvania (14), and Oregon (11) all exceed Ohio's count.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Why is Ohio lagging behind? The answer is simple, and it comes from Ted Strickland's own mouth:

    "Ohio been a passive state for quite a while, and this is just one of them," Mr. Strickland said. "There was just no real[effort] pursuing alternative-energy companies."

    Why no effort, Ted? As the leader of this state, should you not be beating the drum for for solar power plants to come into Ohio? Is it because you are a Dirty Coal Governor under the influence of coal lobbyists like the UMW, Duke Energy, and Dayton Power and Light?

    Why not Ohio? In the state of Oregon, solar manufacturers get tax credits of up to 50 percent of construction costs. At least four solar companies have moved or placed manufacturing operations there since 2007 totaling about 2,000 permanent jobs.

    Why Not Ohio? Michigan offers alternative energy companies credits from the state's business and payroll taxes and in 2008 enacted an incentive up to 25 percent - or $15 million - of the capital investment made specifically for companies that build photovoltaics facilities.

    Why not Ohio? Because Ted Strickland is Governor. This has to change come November!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

    Upset the setup! Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more information, contact 330-503-1407

     

    3/9/10
    Why not Ohio? Let's Stop New Nuke Plants in the Buckeye State

     In an article from Green Options:

    ==================================================

    Vermont Senate Rejects Relicensure for Yankee Nuclear Plant

    In what some view as a harbinger of the difficult political task of relicensing the aging stock of 1970s era nuclear reactors nationwide, Vermont’s state Senate exercised its uniquely-held state relicensing authority to reject a plan to keep the Vermont Yankee plant open beyond 2012.

    The vote came at a time of controversy for the plant itself, after recent concerns about tritium leaks have gone public and as activists, protestors and lawmakers expressed concerns over the plant’s safety. By contrast, the vote came just one week after President Obama announced the first $8 billion in an expected $50 billion of government-guaranteed loans for new nuclear reactors, a plan the White House said was essential to help meet America’s growing energy needs from sources that do not emit carbon dioxide.

    Others, however, continue to vehemently oppose the idea of expanding nulcear power (or even relicensing the existing stock) on several fronts: safety of plant operation, national security, proliferation risk, unsolved waste disposal issues, and now, the financial gamble of guaranteeing loans to an industry that has a history of cost overruns and project delays.

    ==================================================

    Ted Strickland is on record saying he wants more Nuclear Plants for Ohio.

    Can we and our children afford to have unsafe nuclear plants be the goal of any future governor? I oppose building any new Nuclear Plants in Ohio.

    Ted Strickland doesn't. Who is looking out for your children and family?

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Vote in the Ohio Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    3/8/10
    Ted Strickland and his Nuke Plants Must Go!

    It's time for Ohio to just say no to Ted Strickland and his nuclear energy program. Ted Strickland and the nuclear lobby thinks that the public has forgotten about Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. And it doesn't want you to hear about the recent incident in Vermont, where radioactive tritium -- a cancer-causing carcinogen -- leaked from a reactor and polluted groundwater.

    The nuclear danger is real for all Americans -- even those of us who don't live near a reactor. Dealing with nuclear waste means transporting it by train across the country. One derailment in a heavily populated area could have catastrophic consequences. It's our job to remind the public about these risks and why we've had a 30-year moratorium on new reactors.


    Ted Strickland and the corporations angling to profit from new reactors are some of the wealthiest in the country. So why are they asking for our tax money? Because Wall Street banks won't risk investing in new reactors unless the government backs them up with a pre-emptive bailout. It's no wonder. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the risk of default on new nuclear loans is "well above 50 percent." If Wall Street doesn't want to take the risk, why should taxpayers?

    It's time for Ted Strickland to stop selling Nuclear Power to the people of Ohio. It's time for Ohio to stop Ted Strickland from ever placing another Nuke Plant in Ohio. It's time for Ohio to Move Foward and Remove Ted Strickland from the Governor's office in November!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Vote in the Green Party Primary in Ohio on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407.

    3/7/10
    Just Say No to Ted Strickland and His Nuclear Plants!

    Ted Strickland want to build more Nuclear plants for Ohio. What does that mean? If the costly new nuclear plants aren't finished, then taxpayers cover the huge financial loss.

    If they are built, then we're stuck with power plants that generate overpriced electricity and create deadly radioactive waste that will remain toxic for thousands of years.

    Either way, the nuclear industry wins, and we lose.


    Nuclear power creates deadly radioactive waste, from the mining process onwards.   It's got a scary history: think Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.

    Just recently, a nuclear plant in Vermont was ordered shut down after radioactive tritium, which is linked to cancer, leaked from the plant into local water supplies.

    Nuclear power is so financially risky that even Wall Street won't bet on it.  It's a public health and financial disaster waiting to happen.

    Instead, our government should promote energy efficiency and a decentralized power system based on safe, clean, renewable energy.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor!

    Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

     

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    3/6/10
    High Speed Rail More Attractive than Four Lane Highways

    As Green Party Governor of Ohio, I would advocate smaller high speed rail plans for Ohio than Ted Strickland's monsterous 3-C project. By doing smaller projects such as a Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh and a Columbus-Pittsburgh model, we could test the benefits of high speed rail before committing to a huge cross-state project.

    High Speed Rail would be more attractive than more highways because:

    1. Less use of land space.
    2. Cost of a mass rail transit system would cost ¼ of what it would be to build another 4-lane highway.
    3. Faster travel.
    4. Less maintenance costs (no orange barrels out every 6 months)
    5. Less cars on the road. Less pollution in the air.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor


    Ask for a Green Party Primary Ballot and vote in the Green Primary on May 4th!

     

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

     

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    3/5/10

    Ted Strickland and Jean Schmidt: Kissing Cousins when it comes to Nuclear Power Plants

    Last June, WCPO-TV in Cincinnati reported on the story of state and federal officials gathering in Piketon, Ohio to support a nuclear plant site there. Ted Strickland was holding hands with GOP queen Jean Schmidt praising nuclear power:

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Officials made a step forward Thursday concerning the future of energy production in the Buckeye state.

    Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Congresswoman Jean Schmidt were among the leaders who gathered in Piketon, Ohio to announce plans to explore the option of a nuclear power plant there.

    Piketon is about 100 miles east of Cincinnati.
     
    The announcement took place at 10 a.m. at the former uranium enrichment plant which is the site possibly intended for the new energy plant. It has the necessary infrastructure for a nuclear plant.
     
    The plant would take 10 years to build. It would employ about 4,000 people during construction and about 800 people when the plant is complete.

    Duke Energy would reportedly be a partner in the plant along with a French firm. As of now, officials have not decided to move forward with the nuclear plant.  They have only announced a group to explore the possibility of a plant in Piketon.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Now we know why Duke Energy is a huge contributor in financial donations to the Strickland Campaign: They have a Nuke Plant puppet in Ted Strickland!

    Is this the type of Governor you want running Ohio for your children's safety? Do you want a glowing Nuke plant in your backyard? You may get one if Ted Strickland is re-elected Governor of Ohio! How progressive is Ted Strickland if he cuddles up to Mean Jean Schmidt when it comes to Nuke Plants?

    Dennis Spisak_Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Ask for a Green Party Ballot and Vote in the Ohio Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more info: contact 330-503-1407

    3/4/10
    Ted Strickland: The Dirty Coal Supporting Governor

    While Ted Strickland like to portray himself as the "Green Renewable Power" Governor, He is in reality the number one supporter of dirty coal and nuke power plants in Ohio.

    His campaign contributions are heavy in pro dirty coal and nuke power backers, the UMW, Duke Energy, and Dayton Power and Light.

    Plus, Ted Strickland comes right out and tell the press he supports dirty coal. When the AMP Plant fell through in Meigs County, TEd Strickland released the following press statement to the Pomeroy newspaper:

    "Gov. Ted Strickland, a supporter of the project, released the following statement through spokesperson Allison Kolodziaj, “Creating jobs and producing homegrown energy was a hallmark of this project. While we’re very disappointed to learn of this news, we respect the decision of the member communities to look at other options for the site in Meigs County. The Strickland administration continues to work with AMP through these next steps.”

    Ohio needs clean,renewable, and alternative energy in the 21st Century.

    That's why Ohio needs Green Party Candidate Dennis Spisak as Governor in 2010!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Ask for and vote in the Ohio Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    3/3/10
    What to Say to Those Who Think Single Payer Advocates Are Wacko

    What to Say to Those Who Think Single Payer Advocates Are Wacko

    Published on Monday, February 8, 2010 by CommonDreams.org

    by Paul Hochfeld

    What do we say to our more conservative friends, who genuinely think that the Single Payer solution to our health care crisis would be a disaster?  Try what follows. In the end, you may simply agree to disagree. That’s O.K., but what follows may give them pause to think.

    Already, 60% of all our health care dollars come directly or indirectly (because employers insurance premiums are tax deductible) from the taxpayer.  The care of our oldest neighbors are financed by Medicare, i.e. the taxpayers.  The care of our disabled neighbors is financed by Medicaid.  Ditto the care of our poorest neighbors who, because health follows wealth, are also at greater risk of high expense.  Fourteen hundred insurance companies, at significant expense, stratify the rest of the population by “risk”.  Their top-secret formula results in them covering the employed people, small groups, and individuals who can prove that they are at low risk.   What about the others?  When those who can’t afford the premiums get sick, go bankrupt, and can’t pay their bills, “we” all pay for it in higher charges.   Furthermore, employer-paid premiums are tax deductible which means insurance company profits are subsidized by the taxpayer.

    As near as I can tell, this is a big taxpayer rip-off.   Additionally, our non-system is fraught with numerous perverse incentives that result in more care, but not necessarily better care.  Physicians must share a significant part of the blame here, but that’s a different, though important, discussion.  Addressing these perversities is problematic because we don’t have a Health Care System we have For-Profit Sick Care Non-System that, to extent that it has any design at all, is designed to serve the for-profit insurance and the pharmaceutical industries.  Perverse incentives work for those who profit from them.  They don’t work for patients or those who pay the bills, i.e., taxpayers.

    Single payer means one risk pool.  You’ve heard the slogan.  Everyone in.  Nobody out.  We gather all the money that employers and individuals are currently paying for health care.  It’s not more money.  It’s the same money, already being spent on health care, but by pooling it, we can save 20% right off the top.  Providers won’t have negotiate fee schedules with all the different payers.   Providers will only have to send  bills, electronically, to one place.  Furthermore, substantial savings accrue as the system matures.  When an ER Doctor in Oregon sees a patient passing through town, he will access her electronic medical record in Iowa, resulting in, not just less expensive care, but better care.  None of this is going to be accomplished until we have Public Health Authorities administering a health care system with the goal of health, financed publicly and delivered privately.

    This isn’t pie in the sky.  Check out what the other developed countries are doing, but please don’t respond with anecdotes.   We have 45,000 new anecdotes every year that illuminate how real or perceived financial barriers to timely, appropriate care cause unnecessary death.

    The real question is whose “system” produces the least number of unnecessary deaths and the least suffering for the dollars being spent?  Yes, other countries are struggling because of limited resources, but they are dealing with the problems maturely, they are making difficult decisions, and, by recognizing that health is a human right, they are getting a healthier population for less cost.

    Is access to appropriate health care a human right?  If not, we can agree to disagree.  If so, it is a legitimate function of our government to make sure that nobody falls through the cracks.  Also, doesn’t the government have a fiduciary responsibility to make sure the taxpayer is getting value for its health care dollars?  Insurance company CEO’s have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize profits even if it means investing large sums of money in manipulating public policy… and that’s exactly what they’ve been doing.  It’s unfathomable to me that some people distrust “The United States” more than United Health Care.  That may be where we end up agreeing to disagree.

    In any case, the taxpayer is being ripped off, big time.

    3/2/10

    How to Create Green Energy Jobs for Ohio

    From the Apollo Alliance:

     ===================================================

    Amid growing concerns about the U.S. losing clean energy manufacturing jobs to other countries, a new report released this week by Policy Matters Ohio, the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) and the Apollo Alliance documents how one clean energy investment proposal, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT) Act, would help create and retain clean energy manufacturing jobs in Ohio.

    The Impact of IMPACT: Creating Jobs in Ohio finds that the IMPACT Act, which is contained in the proposed Senate clean energy and climate bill, would create between 41,063 and 52,214 new jobs across Ohio.

    The IMPACT Act would establish a two-year $30 billion revolving loan fund to assist small- and medium-sized manufacturers retool to produce clean energy component parts and become more energy efficient. It would also increase long-term funding for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program to help manufacturers access clean energy markets and adopt innovative, energy-efficient manufacturing technologies. Provisions that are nearly identical to those in IMPACT were included in the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2009.

    “PERI’s analysis finds that investing in the retooling and conversion of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms in Ohio would create a robust engine of job growth for the state,” said Heidi Garrett-Peltier, the economist who conducted the analysis. “We find that the investments from IMPACT would not only retain current jobs, but they would also create new jobs that utilize the skills of the workers of Ohio. These investments are a potentially powerful way to revitalize the manufacturing sector in the state.”

    The findings of the report are relevant to other manufacturing states and to anyone who wants to ensure that comprehensive federal clean energy and climate measures create the economic benefits that American workers are expecting. To read the report, visit the Policy Matters Ohio website.

    ====================================================

    I will work to see that Green Jobs are the number one priority in my administration, not coal and nuke plants like Ted Strickland supports!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    Pick up a ballot and vote in the Green Primary on May 4th!

    for mroe info: contact 330-503-1407.

    3/1/10
    Ted Strickland, Nuclear subsidies put taxpayers at risk
         

    An article last week in the Boston Globe reports:

    ============================================== 

    President Obama's plan to kick-start the construction of nuclear power plants in the United States comes with a big catch: Because private banks won't lend to an industry viewed as financially risky, taxpayers would be accountable for billions in government-guaranteed loans if plant developers default.

    ``There is a huge potential risk for taxpayers,'' said Autumn Hanna, who analyzes federal loan guarantees at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonparti san group. She said the risk could be in the tens of billions of dollars and said the public shouldn't be asked to assume responsibility banks are unwilling to take.

    Banks have been reluctant to lend money for new nuclear projects due to a combination of concerns about cost overruns, past defaults, and the uncertain regulatory climate and political hostility that have shadowed the industry since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979.

    But there are significant uncertainties. The Washington Public Power Supply System, which sought to build nuclear reactors financed with municipal bonds, defaulted on those bonds in 1983 in a case that still hangs over the financing of such projects. In addition, the problem of where to put spent fuel, which remains highly radioactive, has not been resolved.

    The Nuclear Energy Institute estimates that there are 28 proposed nuclear projects around the country that might seek the guaranteed loans. None of the proposals is for New England, where opposition to nuclear power has been stronger than in other regions such as the South. Among companies that are interested in new nuclear power plants are Entergy Corp. (NYSE:ETR) , Exelon Corp. (NYSE:EXC) , and Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE:DUK PRA) (NYSE:DUK)

    =================================================

    Duke Energy has been very active contributing to Ted Strickland's re-election campaign for the last year. Ted Strickland wants to put more nuke plants in Ohio based on his energy plan for the future. It seems Strickland will do this despite what it may end up costing Ohio taxpayers.

    As the Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor, I will see to it that no new nuke plants will go on-line here in the state of Ohio in the future.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Ask vote a Green Party Ballot and vote in the Green Party primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info contact 330-503-1407.

    2/28/10
    We Need a Green New Deal for Ohio

    With unemployment so high, it's time for a Green New Deal to tackle economic and ecological problems at the same time.

    We should put Americans back to work with living-wage green jobs: retrofitting homes for energy efficiency, building modern mass transit systems, installing renewable energy technology, and conserving our irreplaceable ecosystems.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Ask for a Green ballot and Vote in the Green Party Primary on May 4th!

    Http://www.votespisask.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info contact 330-503-1407


    2/27/10
    A Green Party governor and Social Services

    As the father of two sons with autism, and since my wife teaches pre-school multihandicapped children, I am well aware of the financial problems facing social services. Funding of social services would be for me a priority in funding, right up their with public education. Neither of these programs can stand anymore bud...get cutting. By returning Ohio to the Pre-Bob taft tax cuts, we could raise enough revenue to fund both social services and public education at the proper levels.


    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Ask for a Green Party primary ballot and vote on May 4, 2010!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407.

    2/26/10
    A Green Party Governor would Fix Ohio's Problems

    What would it mean to elect a Green Party Governor for Ohio? It would mean having a Governor who would work towards every Ohioan having a guaranteed job at a living wage; a single-payer, universal health insurance plan; restoration of workers' rights; an end to corporate abuse of trade; an end to corporate welfare and corporate domination of elections; universal access to quality public education; protection of the environment; "NO" to privatization; and other means designed to provide Ohioans with job security and a decent standard of living.

    No longer will we have a government controlled by corporate lobbyists and PACS. It time to move Ohio forward!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Ask for a Green Party Primary Ballot on May 4, 2010!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Http://www.dennisspisak.com

    For more information contact 330-503-1407.

    2/25/10
    How a Green Party Governor will Handle Ohio's Public School Funding Crisis

    As a school board President and the Green Party Candidate for Governor, I am the only candidate that is wiling to address that Ohio -- along with all its local governments and school districts -- might have to make severe budget cuts or raise taxes or some combination of both to balance budgets beyond 2011.

    Governor Strickland's plan to "Turnaround Ohio" has failed when it comes to public education-
    school programs continue to be cuts because he has failed to offer leadership and address the serious school funding issue. John Kasich's plan to cut more taxes will "Turnback Ohio" and make problems for public schools even greater.

    As a school board President, I am the only candidate who will make sure the funding of public schools a priority and will make sure public education is spared from anymore
    budget cuts.

     

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    Vote Green in the Ohio Primary-May 4th!

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    2/24/10
    Why Not Ohio? A State-Owned Bank Like The Bank of North Dakota

    The AP ran a story last week on the State Bank of North Dakota....

    ======================================================

    (AP) The Bank of North Dakota - the nation's only state-owned bank - might seem to be a relic.

    But now officials in other states are wondering if it is helping North Dakota sail through the national recession.

    The Bank of North Dakota serves as an economic development agency and "banker's bank" that lessens the loan risks of private banks and helps them finance larger projects. It offers cheap loans to farmers, students and businesses.

    The bank had almost $4 billion in assets and a $2.67 billion loan portfolio at the end of last year, according to its most recent quarterly financial report. It made $58.1 million in profits in 2009, setting a record for the sixth straight year. During the last decade, the bank funneled almost $300 million in profits to North Dakota's treasury.

    The bank has the advantage of being the repository for most state funds, which can be used for loans and occasional relief for private banks that need a jolt of cash during sluggish credit markets.

    The state earns roughly 0.25 percent less interest than state agencies would get from a commercial institution. The bank also pays no state or federal taxes and has no deposit insurance; North Dakota taxpayers are on the hook for any losses.

    =====================================================

    Why not a state bank for Ohio? With a state bank like North Dakota's we could fund new businesses and restore our crumbling infrastructure.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

     

    Vote in the May 4th Ohio Green Party Primary!

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    2/23/10
    Why Not Ohio? Spanish Wind Power Company Creates 1,100 Jobs

    The Blue-Green Alliance reported the following:

    =====================================================

    When Troy Galloway, age 45, lost his job at a steel mill after 15 years of steady employment, he wasn’t sure how he was going to make ends meet.

    The region had already lost over 25,000 local steelworker jobs in the past few decades. The forecast for work employing his skill-set looked bleak. He tried real estate, which blew hot and cold, and then tried to “beat the bushes” for construction jobs. “After no work for January and February three years ago, my wife said: ‘This is not working out.’”

    Luckily for Galloway, the Spanish company Gamesa, the second-largest wind-turbine maker in the world, came to Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, to open up a new blade factory in response to the passage of a state RES. Galloway reasoned that the wind industry could provide him with stable and long-term employment, so he submitted his resume, and got a job. His previous experience operating machines was a nice fit for his present occupation, which makes the spars that serve as the backbone of wind turbine blades that span 150 feet.

    “Now I not only have a good job, but a job that feels good,” said Galloway. “Working in the wind power sector is a great opportunity to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, help the environment, as well as future generations, our children, and our children’s children,” he said. To top if off, he’s making a little more money now. Since he was president of the local United Steelworkers union, he admires the pro-labor stance of Gamesa. “Even some of their management is unionized,” he acknowledged.

    =====================================================

    Why Not Ohio? Why does not Ohio begin to employ thousands in the Blue-Green Energy field while Ted Strickland's love of dirty coal and nuke plants does not bring in jobs? Ted Strickland has hitched his wagon to those corporate lobbyists who do not create jobs. We need a Green Party Governor to bring more Blue-Green JOBS to the Buckeye state.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Governor for Ohio

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    2/22/10
    Why Not Ohio? Maryland aims for 100,000 solar rooftops in 10 years

    The Baltimore Sun newspaer reported the following earlier this month:

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     

    Environment Maryland says a quarter of Maryland homes are ready for solar panels that could capture energy that is now going unused. The group cites information from the International Center for Sustainable Development that shows the state gets about 196,000 gigawatt-hours of solar energy on a sunny summer day. That's more than what's produced at the state's mostly coal-fired power plants here in a year.

    The move could reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution, as well as make energy distribution more efficient by creating it locally. It could also save consumers money and create local jobs, the group said.

    Environment Maryland describes the three bills this way:

    First, Gov. O’Malley has introduced legislation that would require a quicker ramp-up of the solar portion of the state’s renewable portfolio standard. This would mean that utilities would have to get a greater percentage of their energy portfolio from solar power sooner, which would jumpstart job creation and cut down on our emission of greenhouse gases.

    Second, Del. Hecht and Sen. Middleton are leading an effort to introduce legislation that would give municipalities the means by which to loan people money for solar and other clean energy projects at very low interest rates, resulting in more homeowners taking advantage of the clean, reliable electricity that solar energy generation provides.

    Finally, Dels. Pinsky and Hecht are working on "net-metering" legislation, which would require utilities to pay customers back for surplus energy they create with the solar panels on their roofs.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Why not Ohio? Why does not Ted Strickland call for feed-in tariffs that would pay customers back for surplus solar energy created by solar panels? Is it because Ted Strickland is on the dirty coal and nuke power gravy train because of all the political campaign contributions from these corporate lobbyists over the years. With each passing day the answer becomes an obvious YES!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info, contact 330-503-1407

    2/21/10
    Spisak for Governor: Fixing Problems Facing Everday Ohioans

     I am running for Governor because I believe we must send a representative to Columbus who will address the issues facing regular citizens, not Lobbyists or Corporation PACs. My campaign will focus on the issues that Ohioans care about: affordable health care, economic fairness, quality public education, and bringing renewable energy manufacturing jobs to the state. I am not afraid to call for Health Care for All Ohioans, economic justice, and nothing less than a renewal of Ohio's sense of community and promise of equal opportunity for all citizens.

     

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

     
     

    2/20/10
    Why We Need Single-Payer Health Care In Ohio: Top Five Health Insurers Posted 56 Percent Profit Gains in 2009

    John Bryne wrote last week : According to a study by a pro-health reform group last published Thursday, the nation's largest five health insurance companies posted a 56 percent gain in 2009 profits over 2008. The insurers including Wellpoint, UnitedHealth, Cigna, Aetna and Humana, which cover the majority of Americans with insurance.

    The insurers' hefty profit gains came even as 2.7 million more Americans lost their insurance coverage due to the declining economy.

    Notably, the study also found that insurers spent less money on medical care as a percentage of their premiums from customers. Salaries, administrative expenses and profits made up more of the insurer's expenses in 2009.

    Wellpoints Anthem Blue Cross California created a stir last week by announcing that they will raise premiums on individuals by 39 percent in 2010. The increase was so high it drew a rebuke from the Obama Administration.

    This is why we need The Health Care for All Ohioans Act passed. As long as Ted Strickland accepts $10,000 in donations from Medical Mutual, insurance rates, premimums, and expenses will continue to skyrocket for the aveage Ohioan and their family.

    This is why I support passage of the Health Care for All Ohioans Act.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    2/19/10
    Dennis Spisak Files For Ohio Governor's Race

    Yesterday we the pleasure of submitting over 1,100 petition signatures for the Ohio's Governor Race for 2010.

    I would like to thank my army of volunteers who went across the state to gather our signatures. We had widespread support for our candidacy from Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Youngstown, Toledo, and throughout the Buckeye State.

    The people of Ohio are tired of government controlled by just the Democrats and Republicans. They no longer want the corporate politics of the two major parties. They want straight talk and straight answers to the problems facing Ohio, more blue-green jobs and greater employment opportunities, better funding of public schools, a cleaner environment, and single payer health care for all Ohioans.

    These are issues the Democrats and Republicans fail to address and fail to offer any meaningful solutions too. Our campaign for Governor will address these issues, and will work towards finding 21 century solutions to these 21st century problems.

    We are in this race to stay and win in November.

    We are ready to crash Ted's and John's party.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407.

    2/18/10

    Why Not Ohio? Florida's Feed-In Tariff is Lowering Energy Costs

    Florida is another state which is pursuing feed-in tariffs based on European models. Why not Ohio?

     John Crider, PE, Gainesville Regional Utilities
    Florida, United States [Renewable Energy World North America] writes that
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
    Gainesville, Fla., has recently found itself thrust into the media spotlight due to its adoption of an oddly-named, and somewhat foreign renewable energy policy known as the “feed-in tariff.”

    Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) is a public municipal utility, owned by the citizens of Gainesville. Like many utilities, private and public alike, GRU has traditionally provided power with a combination of coal- and natural gas-fired generation. In 2002, a resource study indicated that substantial additional generation capacity would soon be needed to meet the city’s projected energy load. Gainesville, a university town, has a very green orientation. The Gainesville City Commission, being sensitive to climate change issues, chose to defer the need for additional generation by pursuing a path of energy load reduction through increased energy efficiency, coupled with adoption of renewable energy for additional capacity needs.

    Solar photovoltaic rebates had traditionally been part of the energy efficiency program. In addition to rebates, retail net metering was offered to PV customers in 2008. These incentives were successful by comparison: Although making up 1 percent of the state’s population, Gainesville residents installed 12 percent of the distributed PV in Florida in 2008.

    However, GRU felt the solar program was falling short on two key elements. First, rebates were issued to purchase equipment and not energy. Once the equipment was purchased, there was no further incentive for customers to maintain their systems. Second, net-metering provided little incentive for commercial customers to install PV. Since they were paid at the same rate they purchased energy, which is traditionally much lower than residential rates, they were less inclined to invest in PV, although they had the largest rooftops.

    In the summer of 2008, the Solar Electric Power Association sponsored a trip to Germany for utility executives, so that they could see firsthand the effect that German renewable energy policies had had on that country. GRU’s representative on that trip returned with accounts of market transformation, innovative design and manufacturing and an explosion of green jobs, all due directly to a policy known as a “feed-in tariff” (FIT). In short, the feed-in tariff allows anyone to become a renewable energy generator, have access to the power grid and guarantees a flat rate-payment for every kilowatt hour of energy they produce.

    Upon reflection, it was clear that applying such an approach to Gainesville would have two immediate benefits. Replacing rebates with a performance-based incentive would increase the actual delivery of energy. And there would be a much greater incentive for commercial customers to participate.

    The potential of the FIT to spark economic growth, in addition to simply developing renewable energy sources, was not lost on the Gainesville City Commission. Implementing the FIT was seen as a chance to use energy policy to create jobs and establish a flourishing green marketplace. However, in order to meet these objectives, investors needed to be convinced that building PV installations would be a prudent business move. Therefore, an FIT rate was designed to provide a return high enough to be worthy of investment.

    In March 2009 the Gainesville FIT program was officially launched with these primary objectives:

    • To transform the GRU capacity-based incentives to performance-based incentives
    • To provide much greater incentive for commercial participation in the solar program
    • To assure a ready supply of renewable energy for the near and far future
    • To create both jobs and a strong, renewable energy marketplace.

    In the months since the program’s inception, the FIT has proven successful beyond expectations. Thirty megawatts of solar capacity has been successfully applied for and reserved through 2017. Already, in less than a year, GRU has doubled the amount of solar capacity that had ever been installed in the city. Two solar “farms” designed to produce nearly 2,400 MWh of energy each year are currently in construction and a 2 MW rooftop system will crown Gainesville’s largest shopping center by the end of the year.

    As Ray Kroc, the innovative founder of McDonald’s once said: “The two most important requirements for major success are: first, being in the right place at the right time, and second, doing something about it”. The time for renewable energy is now, and Gainesville is proud to have taken the steps towards its success.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Why does Ted Strickland lack the foresite to begin investigating bringing

    Feed-in tariffs to Ohio? Is it because Ted Strickland has no vision for Ohio?

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    For more info: Contact 330-503-1407

     
     

    2/17/10

    Another reason Single_Payer Health Care Can't Wait-Rural Ohio
     On Wednesday, February 10, 2010, the Center for Rural Affairs released a policy report entitled - Why Health Care Reform Can't Wait: The Benefits of Health Reform for Rural America - which examines the  health care reform proposals and their potential impact on rural families, businesses and communities as well as the rural consequences of inaction.
    Crucial Findings:

    • Rural Americans stand to obtain greater rates of health insurance coverage and reverse the long-time trend of being more likely to be uninsured than urban residents.
    • The benefits of health insurance coverage are enormous for all uninsured, but particularly for rural people who receive less preventive care and have higher rates of all chronic diseases.  Fewer rural people will die needlessly simply because they lack health insurance.  And rural communities and the already insured in them will benefit from more people being covered.
    • Many barriers that prevent rural residents from obtaining health insurance coverage will be removed.  The generally poorer health of rural people will no longer determine whether health insurance is a possibility.

    This is just another report stating why the Health Care for All Ohioans Act must be passed in the Buckeye State. Universal health care must reach our rural citizens-they need it!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info: contact 330-503-1407

    2/16/10
    Why Not Ohio? Washington State FIT Bill Heard in Committee
     

    According to a story written by  Paul Gipe last month, Washington State is the latest in the nation to introuduce a feed-in tariff bill in the state house.

    Why Not Ohio?

    An Act Creating Standard Offer Contracts was introduced into the Washington State House of Representatives January 5, 2010 and was heard by the Committee on Technology, Energy, and Communication on January 11th.

    HB 2536 was introduced by Representatives John McCoy (D-38th), Maralyn Chase (D-32nd), and Jeff Morris (D-40th). McCoy is Chair of the Committee on Technology, Energy, and Communication. Chase is Vice Chair of the Committee on Environmental Health. And Morris is Speaker Pro Tempore.

    The bill contains provisions reported previously, see Washington State House Committee Chair Outlines FIT Bill.

    HB 2536, like many similar bills introduced across the US in the past two years seems focused solely on solar PV by severely limiting project size. HB 2536 limits project size to no more than 2 MW. Though the bill includes all renewable technologies, it is likely that no wind, geothermal, or biomass plants will be built under its overly restrictive provisions. Such provisions primarily benefit solar PV at the expense of other technologies.

    Ontario has no limit on project size except for solar PV, which is limited to 10 MW. There are no project size limits in Germany. Spain limits project size to 50 MW.

    Among its provisions, HB 2536 directs the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) to calculate the average cost of generation plus a 10% rate of return from

    • Installed capital costs;
    • Fixed and variable operation and management expenses;
    • Fuel costs;
    • Cost of financing;
    • Land costs or leases;
    • Insurance;
    • Transmission and interconnection costs;
    • Net capacity factors; and
    • Estimated project life and projected generation degradation.

    The bill also directs the UTC to set tariffs that are "reasonable and fair" to the generator, the ratepayer, and the utilities.

    In a significant improvement over California's AB 1106 and Vermont's feed-in tariff program, chairman McCoy's bill creates separate tariffs for each of three size classes or "tiers"

    • <10 kW,
    • >10 kW<300 kW, and
    • >300 kW<2,000 kW.

    California's AB 1106 sets one tier for projects from 1 MW to 5 MW. All projects less than 1 MW receive the 1 MW tariff. Recently passed SB 32 directs California's PUC to set tariffs based on the "value" of the electricity to the system for projects up to 5 MW.

    The bill includes both investor-owned utilities and "consumer-owned utilities". The latter are typically Public Utility Districts in rural areas of the state. Rural utilities complained at the hearing that they would be unfairly burdened by the presumed cost of the program. Though HB 2536 spreads costs of the program across all ratepayer classes within a utility, there is no equalization or balancing provision among utilities as in Germany.

    A workshop is scheduled to discuss this and other issues.

    Again, why not Ohio? Why does Ohio not begin investigation into Feed-In Tariffs? Is it because Ted Strickland still believes heavyly in using dirty coal and Nuke options? It's starting to seem that way.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for mroe info contact 330-503-1407

    2/15/10
    Ohio Needs 21 Century Clean Green Energy, Not Dirty Coal

    As Green Party Candidate for Governor, I am calling on Ted Strickland to stop his support of coal burning as a continued major source of power for Ohio's future. Ohio must switch to clean energy instead of dirty coal or clean coal technology as soon as possible.

    Burning coal-to-liquid fuel is arguably the dirtiest, most expensive energy gamble we could take. The truth is that liquid coal is plagued with economic and environmental downsides from the time the coal is mined until long after the liquid is removed from the coal.

    Nearly twice the global warming emissions are emitted by liquid coal than by gasoline and huge inputs of energy are required to make coal into a synthetic fuel.Replacing just 10 percent of the nation's transportation fuels with liquid coal would require a 40 percent increase in coal mining, which would jeopardize long-term prospects for coal including its use as a major electricity source.

    I believe in building an energy corridor based upon renewable energy companies and manufacturers who will build and produce green jobs such as solar and wind component plants. Blue-collar jobs - to put our people back to work.

    The new Apollo program (put together by the Apollo Alliance, a group of business, labor, environmental and community groups) which calls for a $500 billion over 10 years with the potential to create more than 5 million green energy jobs.

    It will accelerate the development of the nation's vast clean energy resources and move us toward energy security, climate stability and economic prosperity. And it will transform Ohio into the global leader of the new green economy.

     

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    2/14/10
    Sunday, 14 February 2010
    How to Strengthen Ohio's Economy
    How can we strengthen Ohio's economy? We need a buildup. We need to get back to making stuff, based on real engineering not just financial engineering. We need to launch an E.T.,energy technology, revolution with the same urgency as this bailout. Otherwise, all we will have done is bought ourselves a respite, but not a future. The exciting thing about the energy technology revolution is that it spans the whole economy — from green-collar construction jobs to high-tech solar panel designing jobs. Our No. 1

    resource is our people. Let’s put people back to work-

    retrofitting and repowering Ohio!

     

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor of Ohio

     

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    2/13/10

    Where John Kasich's Tax Cuts Will Take Ohio

    Where will John Kasich's Tax Cuts Take Ohio? 

    David Sirota's description of what's happening to that conservative stronghold should serve as a cautionary tale.

    Thanks to the city’s rejection of tax increases—and, thus, depleted municipal revenues—The Denver Post reports that “more than a third of the streetlights in Colorado Springs will go dark; the city is dumping firefighting jobs, a vice team, burglary investigators, beat cops; water cutbacks mean most parks will be dead ... recreation centers, indoor and outdoor pools [and] museums will close for good; buses no longer run on evenings and weekends; [and] the city won’t pay for any street paving.”

    Meanwhile, even with the Colorado Springs Gazette uncovering tent ghettos of newly homeless residents, the city’s social services are being reduced—all as fat cats aim to punish what remains of a middle class. As just one example, rather than initiating a tax discussion, the CEO of The Springs’ most lavish luxury hotel is pushing city leaders to cut public employee salaries to the $24,000-a-year level he pays his own workforce—a level approaching Colorado’s official poverty line for a family of four.

    This is what Reaganites have always meant when they’ve talked of a “shining city on a hill.” They envision a dystopia whose anti-tax fires incinerate social fabric faster than James Dobson can say “family values”—a place like Colorado Springs that is starting to reek of economic death.
    Well, maybe it isn't a function of government to provide streetlights, municipal water, parks, swimmingpools, fire department, police protection, and paved roads. Or it won't be, anymore. Someday, we'll have to pave our own roads. Scratch that. We'll be free to pave our own roads and hire our own police, etc.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    John Kasich's tax cuts will Turn Ohio Backwards!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    2/12/10Ohio's Wind Power Potential Far Greater Than Strickland's 25% Proposal

    While Ted Strickland touts his 25% clean energy bill by year 2025 Green Party candidate Dennis Spisak says Ohio could do so much more. According to Ohio wind Working Group, Ohio has the potential to generate 60,000 megawatts of wind energy, TWICE what is needed to power the state. In addition, Ohio is also ranked second in the nation in its capacity to manufacture parts for wind turbines.

    A planned wind farm in Hardin County would be one of the largest in the Midwest and would produce enough energy to power 75,000 homes.

    But Ted Strickland only believes in 25% clean energy for Ohio because he is bought by the dirty coal and nuke lobbyists in Columbus.

    As Green Party candidate for Governor, I would call for 100% potential in wind, solar,biomass, and hydro power as possible.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

     

     
     
     
     
     

    2/11/10
    Green Party Support for the Ohioans for Humane Farms

    As Green Party candidate for Governor, I support the Ohioans for Humane Farms ballot proposal. The Ohioans for Humane Farms is spearheading a new, citizen-backed ballot initiative to prevent some of the cruelest factory farming practices in Ohio. The measure will require the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to adopt certain minimum standards that will prevent animal cruelty, improve health and food safety, support family farms and safeguard the environment throughout the state of Ohio.

    The Green Party of Ohio endorses, supports and seeks to implement an
    Agriculture Policy in the State of Ohio that follows basic Green
    principles that will insure a healthy food supply in Ohio.
    We remain concerned about the Constitutional Amendment approved in
    November 2009 creating an Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, largely
    appointed by the Governor,for establishing standards governing the care
    and well-being of livestock and poultry in this state; the concern is
    that this board could put the economic interests of factory farms ahead
    of the welfare of farm animals and prevent certain animal care reform
    proposed by national animal rights organizations.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

     
     
     
     

    2/10/10
    A Green Party Governor Would Support the OEC

    As Governor of Ohio, I would work with the Ohio Environmental Council and put a stop to dumping of construction material into Ohio's groundwater.

    From the OEC: 

    Waste from construction and demolition sites are routinely dumped into Ohio's landfills. The construction and demolition debris (CDD) industry has long contended that this waste is inert and poses no risk to groundwater or the environment.

    Yet last year, Ohio EPA released study results on Ohio's CDD landfills, concluding that liquid waste from CDD landfills "poses a threat to public health and the environment if released to groundwater or surface water." 

    New reports released by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) have resulted in a combined effort across the state involving many environmental organizations and Ohio citizens to urge Governor Strickland to issue a moratorium regarding Construction & Demolition Debris (C&DD) landfill facilities.  The moratorium would halt additional construction and expansion of C&DD facilities until the Ohio Revised Code and Administrative Rules can be altered in order to provide protection from the reported dangers of C&DD landfill toxins to underground bodies of water.

    Many other states require the same safety regulations for C&DD facilities as for Solid Municipal Waste (SMW) facilities. 
    Ohio's requirements for C&DD are vastly inferior to SMW requirements resulting in hazard to Ohio's environment and to the health of Ohio's citizens.  The OEPA reports document the need for more protection in Ohio
    .

    =================================================== 

    I urge Ted Strickland  to issue a statewide moratorium on dumping construction and demolition waste in Ohio's CDD landfills.Our health, and the health of my community, depend on it!

    Ted Strickland won't because he is not a "green Governor", but I will!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    2/9/10
    Corporate Tax Reform and Eliminating Wasteful Economic Subsidies

    In a Progressive States Network Report last week:

    Corporations should also be paying their fair share in taxes.  They benefit from state investments in education, infrastructure, and public safety, but unfortunately, corporations have repeatedly and excessively exploited the tax system.

    • Corporate income tax revenue as a share of all taxes has fallen dramatically.  In 1979, the corporate income tax accounted for 10.2 percent of total state tax revenue. In 2005, the figure fell to 6.5 percent. 
    • The Iowa Fiscal Partnership reported that approximately half of Iowa corporations with at least $1 million of sales in state pay no corporate income tax. 
    • Similarly, the Oklahoma Tax Commission revealed that only 35 percent of corporations filing tax returns in 2000 reported positive taxable income- almost an anomaly considering the economy experienced substantial gains that year.
    • The problems are similar at the federal level. A Government Accountability Office report, Comparison of the Reported Tax Liabilities of Foreign- and U.S.-Controlled Corporations, 1998-2005, found almost two-thirds of all corporations reported no tax liability from 1998 to 2005.

    Accordingly, there are a variety of corporate taxation policy options legislators can pursue to ensure businesses are contributing adequately to a state.

    • Close Tax Loopholes:  Ending some of the egregious corporate tax loopholes that businesses abuse should be a top priority for lawmakers.  States lose billions of dollars each year as a result of these loopholes.  For instance, states should opt out of the "domestic production deduction" tax break that was passed by the federal government in 2004 and subsequently incorporated into the tax code in several states.  Currently, 25 states allow the deduction, which by 2011, will cost states $500 million annually and favors large corporations over small businesses.  States can also eliminate Net Operating Loss "Carryback" Deductions, reform the "cancellation of debt income" (CODI) provision, and reform the tax treatment of S-Corporations and Limited Liability Companies.
    • Combined Reporting:  23 states have implemented combined reporting, which requires multi-state corporations to report profits from all entities, including subsidiaries, for tax purposes.  Combined reporting is a key policy to restrict tax avoidance.  The policy makes the tax system fairer, brings in greater revenue, and does not impede economic growth.  In fact, CBPP finds, "combined reporting states are well-represented among the most economically-successful states in the country."

    The Film Tax Credit as Case Study of Corporate Giveaways:  Several states are dealing with ineffective expenditures, a notorious recent example being the proliferation of film tax credits.  In 2002, only three states offered incentives to the film industry.  Currently, of the 44 states that offer some type of movie production incentive, 28 provide tax credits.  The Tax Foundation provides a graphic that depicts states with incentives and the year in which they were approved.

    Following an explosive scandal involving members of the Department of Economic Development and abuse of the film tax credit, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver ordered a review of credits the state provides.  In early January, Iowa released the Tax Credit Review Report that recommended the state:

    • Provide greater transparency of tax credits;
    • Develop an effective return on investment calculation for all tax credits;
    • Establish a five-year sunset for all tax credits;
    • Cap all currently uncapped tax credits;
    • And eliminate certain tax credits.

    Reports by many other advocacy organizations and government bodies, including the Oregon Center for Public Policy, Connecticut Voices for Children, New Mexico Fiscal Policy Project, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, indicate that offering these tax credits are ineffective and provide little to no economic benefit to a state or its residents.  The Tax Foundation writes that states are greatly overestimating the impact of providing film tax credits and basing decisions "on fanciful estimates of economic activity and tax revenue (leading to) small returns and unnecessary risks with taxpayer dollars."

    Other states have taken tangible steps to address these problems:

    • Connecticut:  Gov. M. Jodi Rell estimated that a $25 million cap for film tax credits would save the state $70 million in the next two years.
    • Massachusetts:  Rep. Steven D'Amico introduced legislation, HB 3854, to limit state spending on incentives for the film industry.
    • Michigan:  Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm proposed reducing the 42% refundable tax credit to approximately 37%.
    • Wisconsin:  Gov. Jim Doyle offered a plan to completely eliminate the state's 25% film tax credit and replace it with a two-year, $1 million grant program to create permanent film industry jobs
    • New Mexico:  Rep. Dennis Kintigh has sponsored HB52 to limit the state's spending on film tax credits.

    Discontinue Excessive Corporate Subsidies:  Even as states confront massive gaps, many are still doling out huge subsidies to corporations.  Many times, these subsidies do not produce long-term growth and may even result in lost revenue.  In North Carolina, for instance, a Dell plant closed just a few years after it received a promise of up to $300 million in grants, an amount more than twice the cost of building the plant.  As Good Jobs First explains, states waste money competing for firms to locate within their borders by providing extremely costly and ineffective incentives, rather than on fostering entrepreneurship and new jobs.  The report details:

    [T]ax reductions, exemptions or credits exert a very small marginal influence on corporate investment decisions... For the vast majority of companies, tax breaks are windfalls, not determinants, and are therefore wasted.

    As government officials look to eliminate wasteful spending, they should also rethink allocating enormous and often inefficient business tax breaks as a better option than cutting programs for their most vulnerable residents.  The public money squandered through tax credits and corporate subsidies demonstrates that blind giveaways are not a sustainable model for economic growth and a more transparent budget process is needed in the future.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As Governor of Ohio, Corporations will pay their fare share of taxes.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

     

    2/8/10
    New Revenue is Needed to Invest in Economic Recovery

    In a Progressive States Network report last week:

     As 48 states confront monetary shortfalls this fiscal year, the budget will undoubtedly be the predominant focus of lawmakers.  In fact, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimates that states will face cumulative deficits of approximately $350 billion in 2010 and 2011.  The downturn has also taken an enormous toll on tax revenue.  Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody's Economy.com, reports that state and local tax revenues have dropped 9 percent from last year, "the largest decline on record going back to just after World War II."  

    During an economic downturn, progressive revenue generation is far preferable to deep cuts, as it allows states to provide funding for essential programs, pump money into the economy, and protect working families in this time of hardship.  A budget that relies too heavily on cuts will not only force layoffs of state employees, but will also cut off funding in the state for crucial services, thereby reducing spending pumping dollars in the private sector. 

    Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Nobel prize winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz confirm:

    [T]ax increases on higher-income families are the least damaging mechanism for closing state fiscal deficits in the short run.  Reductions in government spending on goods and services, or reductions in transfer payments to lower-income families, are likely to be more damaging to the economy in the short run than tax increases focused on higher-income families.

    As a recent report by the Economic Opportunity Institute denotes, "every dollar of state spending generates $1.41 of economic activity.  Much of that spending - 62%, or 88 cents - boosts the private sector.  Cutting state spending means fewer purchases from suppliers, reduced contracts with service providers, less money from public and private employee paychecks circulating through local businesses - and of course, fewer public services."

    Also, spending on programs that assist low and middle-income families is smart economic policy.  By assisting working families, who will more readily spend their funds on basic necessities, the government is boosting short-run demand and fostering market activity.  For instance, Zandi finds that increasing food stamps spending creates $1.73 in demand for each dollar spent by the federal government. 

    Cuts Hurt the Economy:  Unfortunately, several states have responded to the fiscal crisis with deep service cuts:
    • 28 states instituted cuts that will limit low-income children's access to health care
    • 24 states have slashed services for the elderly and disabled
    • 36 states have reduced funding for higher education
    • 42 states implemented cuts that affect state employees, including 26 that have hiring freezes, 14 that have announced layoffs and 26 that have decreased wages

    If new revenues are not generated, further cuts will continue a cycle of job layoffs by states, lower spending on crucial programs, diminished economic growth, and deep budget cuts.  The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) provides the following chart illustrating the danger of state budget cuts as they ripple through the economy; teachers, nurses and police are laid off, state funds supporting private sector activity are reduced, and individuals receiving state support stop spending in their local communities.

    Working and Middle Class Families Have the Highest Tax Burdens On Average:  A common misconception about state and local taxes is the idea that the wealthy have incredibly high tax burdens.  The reality is the richest taxpayers have not been contributing their fair share for years.  When you factor in sales and excise, property, and income taxes, states tax working families far more heavily than richer individuals, according to Who Pays?, a report from ITEP.  As the graph below highlights, the lowest 20 percent of earners pay about 11 percent of their income in state and local taxes while the top 1 percent pay a little over 6 percent of their income to state and local governments.  

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We need to raise revenues in ohio to avoid loss of services. Somebody tell

    Ted Strickland that. He cuts programs as bad as a Republican!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party candidate for Governor

    2/7/10
    Debunking Myths that Taxes Undermine Economic Growth
    The Progressives States Network last week reported:

    One reason states are readily raising revenue as an alternative to more cuts is that they can turn to a wealth of examples to debunk the rhetoric that raising taxes to fund services in a state is harmful to the economy. 

    Taxes Do Not Undermine State Economic Growth:  As we've highlighted in previous Dispatches, research consistently show that, contrary to right-wing rhetoric, there is no link between tax increases and job loss.

    • States with higher personal income tax rates experienced significant job growth in the past decade, as the Fiscal Policy Institute and Center for Working Families point out in their report, Back on Track and as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found in a similar report.
    • Moreover, according to a 2008 Information Technology & Innovation Foundation analysis, states with some of the higher marginal income tax rates, including New York and Maryland, have more innovative new economy industries.  Likely as a result of larger investments in infrastructure, education, and technology, these states are better suited to foster economic growth that is sustainable and well-paying in an increasingly fierce global competition for jobs.
    • This builds on analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) detailing that states the collect the highest percentage of personal income in taxes actually sustain higher income growth.
    • Similarly, an older study by the California Budget Project (CBP) analyzed state economies and concludes, "[s]tates that enacted large tax cuts between 1994 and 2001 - reducing revenue by at least 7 percent - subsequently experienced weaker growth in jobs and personal income and larger increases in the unemployment rate, on average, than other states."

    Progressive Taxes Don't Cause Out-Migration of Wealthy Residents:  Opponents of progressive income tax reform like to argue that tax increases cause wealthy residents to leave a state.  In fact, states that have increased the top rate in recent years have not experienced any significant out-migration of wealthy residents:

    • California:  The California Budget Project found that there was a significant growth in millionaire households after California passed higher PIT rates in the 1990s and again in 2004.  In fact, the number of California millionaires increased by 37.8 percent between 2004 and 2006.
    • New Jersey:  A Princeton University report discovered that the passage of a higher top rate in 2002 had "little effect on migration patterns among half-millionaire households."
    • New York:  After the state temporarily raised income taxes on the wealthy from 2003 to 2005, the number of high income tax returns grew 30 percent, from 250,000 to 325,000.

    A New York Times article, entitled "Taxes Not Seen as Making the Rich Flee New York" succinctly articulates:

    [T]here is surprisingly little evidence to support the proposition that rich New Yorkers would bolt if forced to pay higher income taxes.  Though tracking the movement of wealthy taxpayers from state to state is difficult, experts on public finance and migration say they have yet to document a substantial 'rich drain' in states that have raised income taxes in recent years.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Don't believe everything John Kasich tells you about tax cuts. They don't work!

    Dennis Spisak -Green Party candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    2/6/10
    Public Support for Progressive Taxation & The Failure of the Anti-Tax Movement
    This week the Progressive States Network reported that by approving Measures 66 and 67 this week, Oregonians not only expressed their desire to protect services, but became the latest state to reject the hollow manipulations of right-wing anti-tax rhetoric. 
    • Just last November, voters in Maine and Washington rejected anti-tax initiatives , including so-called "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" (TABOR) initiatives meant to impose a rigid strait jacket on revenue options for state legislatures.
    • In 2008, similar measures were defeated overwhelmingly in Massachusetts, North Dakota and Oregon.  In all three states, proposed initiatives that would have slashed or, in the case of Massachusetts, completely eliminated the income tax, were rejected at the polls.
    • In 2006, voters in Maine, Nebraska and Oregon each rejected TABOR ballot initiatives.  This came on top of judges and other officials rejecting TABOR initiatives in Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma and Missouri due to fraud and manipulation by anti-tax campaigns.
    • In 2005, voters in Colorado--the only state ever to approve a TABOR initiative--decided by initiative to significantly weaken the TABOR rules.  This followed years of declining education and health standards due to the state's as a result of the implementation of the TABOR.

    State Legislatures Reject Anti-Tax Rhetoric as Well:  The string of failures of the anti-tax movement at the ballot box is paralleled by state legislatures passing revenue increases across the country.  In 2009 alone, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin instituted either a permanent or temporary reform of personal income taxes.  Another 11 states considered or enacted business tax increases to help deal with budget deficits and even more states raised other taxes or fees to address the fiscal crisis in state across the country.

    The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center (BISC) notes that out of the 28 attempts by the right-wing to introduce TABOR legislatively, Colorado is the only state that has adopted this disastrous policy.  State lawmakers have watched as Colorado's experience with TABOR has led to an increase in the number of adults and children without health insurance and a severe decline in education funding.

    Empty Threats by the Anti-Tax Right:  While right-wing leaders like Grover Norquist and his Americans for Tax Reform like to make threats of punishing legislators who raise taxes, anti-tax forces have largely revealed themselves to be weak paper tigers.  After New Jersey increased taxes on the wealthy in 2004, the Democratic House majority increased to its largest size in three decades the following year, while progressives in Maryland and Minnesota continued to maintain and grow strong legislative majorities in the wake of approving increased taxes on high-income earners in 2008 and 2007.

    In 2009, BISC found that "[t]he Grover Norquist, Club for Growth, Glenn Beck, Tea Party crowd tried to use the bleak budget picture as an opportunity to ratchet down even harder as states look to find the revenue necessary to protect priorities, create jobs, and get their economies going-- but voters rejected that failed approach."

    Even many conservative politicians have rejected these type of policies.  For instance, Tom Slade, the former head of the Florida Republican party, dismisses Norquist's ideas and finds his anti-tax pledge to be illogical and dangerous.  Slade states, "[y]ou don't know how wide or deep the river's going to get.  Saying I'm never going to use a life boat seemed foolish to me."  After a Republican State Senator from Virginia, Robert Hurt, voted for a $1.4 billion tax increase, Norquist vowed to back a primary challenge against him.  Despite this, the Senator won re-election and is now favored to win the party's nomination for Congress.

    Public Opinion Supports Funding Public Investments:  Polling shows that 79% of the public believes "[g]overnment investments in education, infrastructure, and science are necessary to ensure America's long-term economic growth."  Accordingly, during an economic downturn when so many working families are struggling, voters are likely to support policies to raise revenue, strengthen public programs, and provide safeguards to those who have been hurt by the recession.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As the Green Party candidate for Governor, I say Ohio must return to a progressive tax structure to balance our state budget.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party of Ohio candidate for Governor

    2/5/10
    Why Green Power Jobs Are Important For Ohio
     

     

    The green-collar jobs movement just got another major boost: a groundbreaking new report underscores how the growing green economy can provide high quality jobs for those who need them most. The author, Professor Raquel Rivera Pinderhughes of San Francisco State University, is a leading national expert on green-collar jobs.

    This report deepens our understanding of how to harness green business growth to build pathways out of poverty. Prof. Pinderhughes' research provides us with critical guidance as we develop the Oakland Green Jobs Corps, the nation's first attempt to carry out the model that Professor Pinderhughes describes in her report.

    Professor Pinderhughes is a key partner in our Green-Collar Jobs Campaign. She is on the steering committee of the Oakland Apollo Alliance, and is a senior advisor to the Ella Baker Center and Green For All.

    Some highlights:

    Green businesses need workers, offer training, and pay well.  Of the Berkeley green businesses surveyed by Professor Pinderhughes:

    • 86 percent hire workers without previous direct experience or training for green-collar jobs.
    • 94 percent provide on-the-job training for workers in entry level positions.
    • 90 percent pay the full cost of insuring their workers.
    • 73 percent of businesses stated that there was a shortage of qualified green-collar workers for their sector, with the greatest needs in energy, green building, mechanics and bike repair.
    • The average hourly wage for green-collar work in Berkeley is $15.80 plus benefits. This is $4.00 higher an hour than Berkeley's current minimum "living wage," which is the highest in the nation.

    Workers with barriers to employment want green-collar jobs.  Analysis of men and women in Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco with barriers to employment revealed that:

    • 89 percent wanted to learn more about green-collar jobs.
    • 61 percent expressed interest in being contacted in the future so they could receive training to work in a green-collar job.

    Prof. Pinderhughes summarizes the report:

    Poverty, unemployment and racial inequality are significant problems in the United States, and there is an urgent need for a new source of living wage jobs for low income residents with barriers to employment. Where can these jobs come from? This research project shows that an important part of the answer is the deliberate cultivation of "green-collar" jobs.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    2/4/10
    While Ohio Needs SPAN, Ted Strickland Needs $10,000 From Medical Mutual

    Ohio Needs SPAN

    There are now well over 45 million American citizens with no health insurance. The majority of these are employed adults—many at several part time jobs. With Ohio spending $70 billion a year on health care, which includes $11 billion on administrative costs, there is a way to cost-shift and cover everyone in Ohio with no co-pays and no-deductibles. This means that payment would be received for every person medically served. A single-payer plan that maintains our private doctors, hospitals, and health care providers is a solution to our current health care crisis.

    This is a fundamental test of our democracy: government should be accountable on the leading issue of our time (right up there with the export of jobs). The Health Care For All Ohioans Act, which would bring universal/single-payer health care to Ohio would be funded in a way that would cost most people less what they’re paying now, would cost good companies with benefits less than what they pay now, make the Wal-Marts pay their fair share, and would protect displaced insurance and provider personnel. Find out more at: www.SPANOhio.org (SPAN – Single-Payer Action Network). Sign the petition, legislators, and help put Ohio on the cutting edge of health care reform. Help save America!

    While Ohio Needs SPAN, Ted Strickland takes $10,000 in Corporate Donations from Medical Mutual, to make sure SPAN does never exists in Ohio.

    It's time Ohio elects a Green Party candidate for Governor who SUPPORTS
    SPAN!

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    2/3/10
    Why Not Ohio? Other States Moving Forward on Health Care
    The Progressive States Network last week reported other state leaders are moving forward, laying the groundwork for how national changes should be implemented, and creating the momentum for other meaningful health care reforms in their states.

    Public Options and Universal Coverage:  In Iowa, SB 2092 would establish the Iowa Choice Exchange -- a form of the public option -- to serve as an information clearinghouse where businesses and consumers could compare health insurance policies.  This would be combined with IowaCare Plus, which would subsidize health care for working families fully up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) with help up to 400 percent of FPL for buying more restricted health insurance.  Sen. Jack Hatch (Des Moines) emphasized the reality that "We cannot do this without a fair and appropriate partnership with the federal government."

    Connecticut, building on the enactment of their comprehensive health care reform plan SustiNet in July 2009, will be moving forward to phase it in by 2016.  By 2014, it is estimated that 98 percent of Connecticut residents will be insured with a comprehensive benefits package.  Sustinet will give every patient a medical home, ratings will not be based on age, gender or health status, and coverage will be guaranteed for chronic or pre-existing conditions.  Other new coverage and insurance reforms include:

    • Vermont's HB 510 would establish "Green Mountain Care," creating a public health coverage option with sliding scale premiums and cost sharing.
    • Missouri's Universal Health Assurance Program (HB 1641), which would provide for a publicly financed, statewide insurance program, was introduced on January 13th.  If passed, the program would provide timely access to health services for all residents, adequate funding for health care, and lower health care spending through streamlined administration and uniform payments.
    • California's Universal Health Care Act (S.810) -- approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee this week - would enact a single-payer health care system for the state and create a commission to decide how to pay for the plan and then submit the funding plan to voters through a ballot initiative.
    • Maine's LD 1620 would eliminate annual and lifetime benefit caps from private insurance policies.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Why not Ohio? Why does Ted Strickland not push the Health Care for all Ohioans Act? Is it because he took a $10,000 campaign Contribution from Medical Mutual? I think so.

    Dennis Spisak for Governor-Ohio Green Party

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info contact 330-503-1407.

    2/2/10
    Public Transportation Can Create More Jobs

    According to a report released last week by Green Options:

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A study by Smart Growth America found that every billion dollars spent on public transportation projects created over 16,000 months of employment, almost twice as much work as those created by simple highway expansion and renewal projects.

     

    But the study found that public transportation projects employ almost twice as many people for the common sense reasoning that public transportation requires employees to operate buses, trains, subways, and other infrastructure. The stimulus invested just $8.4 billion in public transit projects, (and another $9.3 billion in high-speed train projects and expanding passenger train capacities, which wasn’t counted in the study.) Public transportation definitely got the shaft. The SGA study figures that of the $4.4 billion spent on those public transportation projects, 72,328 full time job-months have been created or sustained.

    If the study is accurate, the government created 368,935 months of employment. If the numbers were reversed, and $27 billion was spent on public transit, and just $8 billion spent on highways, the government could have created 515,235 months of employment, or 40% more jobs spending the same amount of money.

    What’s more, other studies have suggested you can save over $9,000 a year by using public transportation as opposed to driving a car. The House of Representatives also recently passed a $154 billion “mini-stimulus” for Main Street that includes another $27 billion for highways and just $8.4 for public transportation. If you’re keeping tally at home, that is $17 billion for public transportation ($26 billion if you count money towards trains) and over $52 billion for highway projects.

    Again, common sense dictates that, while our highways definitely need fixing and improving, the best way to knock down unemployment is to permanently employ people, save them money on transportation, and reduce our dependency on cars. Public transportation also requires less land to acquire, more vehicles to purchase, more people to run and maintain those vehicles, and reduces congestion on roads.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    It's time Ohio has a Governor who will put public transportation at the top of his agenda for all cities in Ohio to help put people back to work.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info contact 330-503-1407


    2/1/10
    Why Not Ohio? Samsung Signs $6.6 Billion Solar and Wind Power Deal with Ontario, Canada

    Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor Dennis Spisak cites a recent Green Options report which states the Ontario will be giving the green light to receive 16,000 jobs thanks to their energy legistlation which is allowing a 6.6 billion dollar wind and solar power deal to fall their way:

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     In one of the biggest renewable energy deals in the history of the world, a Korean consortium led by Samsung has agreed to build 2,500 megawatts of wind and solar power capacity in the Canadian province of Ontario.

    Samsung C&T and the Ontario government signed the deal on Thursday, January 21st. The agreement will bring thousands of jobs and clean energy for more than half a million homes to Ontario.

    Building off of this new deal, Korean trade officials plan to make Ontario their base of operations for all of North American.

    Samsung first proposed the deal about a year ago, but Ontario’s Green Energy Act is what seems to have actually moved the proposal to a reality — another reason for clean energy activists in the US to look with puppy dog eyes at the rest of the world as they speed ahead with clean energy (and clean energy jobs) and Americans remain tied to the old bone of dirty technology.

    As The New York Times reports, “Under the terms of the agreement, officials said, Samsung must build four manufacturing plants in Ontario, promising 16,000 direct and indirect jobs over the next five years. The energy generated will be enough for 580,000 homes.”

    The first phase of the project is scheduled to be built near an old coal plant that is supposed to be decommissioned by 2014 (near Windsor). Out with the old, in with the new.

    Samsungs new manufacturing facilities under this deal (4 manufacturing plants in Ontario) will be producing wind turbine towers, wind blades, solar inverters and solar assembly by 2015.

    Now, as Ontario’s premier, Dalton McGuinty, says, “This means Ontario is officially the place to be for green energy manufacturing in North America.” With generous subsidies for clean energy production under its new Green Energy Act, many more clean energy developers probably have their eye on Ontario as well.

    With a project so big and so close to home, the US may start to take the clean energy and climate change legislation that is currently in the Senate a little more seriously. We will see.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Why not Ohio? Is it because we have a fossil fuel Governor in the likes of Ted Strickland? A Governor who never met a nuke or coal plant he didn't like?

    Blue-green jobs are out there, except their going to Canada, while Ohio gets no jobs and only more and more dirty pollution from Ted Strickland's dirty coal plants.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407.

    1/31/10
    Why Not Ohio? Clean Energy Industry Support

    According to a report from the Progeressive States Network:

    Building a green economy is one of the largest areas of entrepreneurial energy these days and states are designing a wide range of programs to encourage firms in their states to become leaders.  Since energy savings are an inherent source of potential revenue, the opportunities are large, but the need for technical, regulatory and financial assistance are also clear.  The following are a few of the programs states are promoting in this area, although the Apollo Alliance extensively tracks clean energy programs in the manufacturing sector:

    • New York:  Green Jobs/Green Homes NY:  The passage of Green Jobs/Green Homes NY produced a job creation program that will foster energy savings and revitalization of distressed areas. The program will create an estimated 14,000 jobs and reduce energy costs for about 1 million homes and businesses across the state.  Using an innovative revolving loan fund, the program will "provide up to $13,000 for residential homes and $26,000 for businesses to retrofit for increased energy efficiency."
    • Pennsylvania:  Building on the state's industry partnerships discussed above, this program will concentrate on upgrading workforce skills by developing industry-recognized credentials, participating in curriculum development at all levels, and helping workers respond to changing industry needs.  This will involve multiple partnerships, including a 3 Rivers Clean Energy Partnership, which helps train workers for jobs in the clean energy industry and the Electronics Manufacturing Partnership, which helps firms become more environmentally conscious.
    • Washington:  Lean and Green Assistance Program:  Last year, the Washington Department of Ecology proposed a Lean and Green Assistance Program aimed at improving the environmental performance and provide technical assistance to companies across the state.  From 2007 to 2008, three Lean and Environmental pilot project were undertaken, effectively saving businesses over $1.5 million and reducing pollution by more than 800,000 pounds according to the EPA.
    • Kansas SB 108 provides for $150 million in bonds to be issued by the state's development finance authority to fund manufacturing projects through long-term loans to eligible wind and solar energy businesses in amounts not exceeding $5 million per project.  Companies' tax withholdings will be placed in a specially-created state economic revitalization fund during the period of the loan to pay off the principal and interest of the loans.
    • Michigan Manufacturing Diversification Program is a loan program backed by the state to help parts of the auto supply chain retool to join the clean energy supply chain, from helping companies eliminate chemicals from processes that clean steel for manufacturing to funding re-purposed factory conveyor belts for solar panel manufacturers.
    • Wisconsin:  The Clean Energy Business Loan Program uses $55 million in ARRA State Energy Program to fund low-interest loans to businesses that promote major renewable energy production projects, the manufacture of clean energy products, advanced manufacturing of clean energy components, retooled supply chains, and energy efficiency programs at firms.
    • --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    • Why not Ohio? Why do we continue to support Ted Strickland and his administration of no leadership in the area of supporting clean industrial energy? Ted Stricklasnd is a nuke and coal governor, and that fact will never change.
    • Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

               Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

               for more info: contact 330-503-1407

     REPORT:  JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE GREEN ECONOMY IN OHIO

    Job Opportunities for the Green Economy: A State-by-State Picture of Occupations that Gain from Green Investments is a new report from the Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The report examines 12 states and the people employed in occupations affected by six green economic strategies: building retrofitting, mass transit, energy-efficient automobiles, wind power, solar power and cellulosic biofuels. It also looks at what the average wages are in each state for these jobs.  Job Opportunities for the Green Economy makes clear that millions of U.S. workers—across a wide range of occupations, states, and income and skill levels—will benefit from a movement to defeat global warming and transform the United States into a green economy.

    Job Opportunities in a Green Economy: Ohio Can Gain from Fighting Global Warming:

    Curbing global warming is the work of a generation; specifically, the work of
    millions of people, performing the jobs needed to build the green economy.
    Clean energy investments will create opportunities for welders, sheet metal
    workers, machinists, truck drivers, and others. In Ohio, there are more
    than 551,000 jobs in a representative group of job areas that could see job
    growth or wage increases by putting global warming solutions to work. And
    the benefits of those new jobs would spread to a much wider swath of the
    economy.

    Clean-Energy Strategies Can Generate Job Growth

    A new study by economists at the Political Economy Research Institute of the University
    of Massachusetts at Amherst examines the types of jobs that are needed to create a clean-energy economy and pinpoints six specific energy strategies that reduce pollution and can lead to job growth:
    Building retrofitting
    Mass transit
    Energy-efficient automobiles
    Wind power
    Solar power
    Cellulosic biofuels

    New jobs will certainly be needed for building a green economy, but the vast majority of jobs associated with these six green strategies are in the same areas of employment that people already work in today, in every region and state of the country. For example, constructing wind farms creates jobs for sheet metal workers, machinists, and truck drivers, among many others. Increasing the energy efficiency of buildings through retrofitting relies, among others, on roofers, insulators, and building inspectors. Expanding mass transit systems employs civil engineers, electricians, and dispatchers. What makes these entirely familiar occupations “green jobs” is that the people working in them are contributing their everyday labors toward building a green economy.

    As the  Green Party Candidate for Goveernor of Ohio, I will work to bring these types of jobs back to the state to help our poor, working, and middle class.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info contact 330-503-1407

    Ohio Now Lags Behind Pennsylvania in Wind Energy Use

     

     More and more states are working towards bringing renewable energy and manufacturing jobs to their people. Pennsylvania is the latest example.


    While Ted Strickland is out campaigning with Bill Clinton ,The Rendell administration has made alternative energy sources a priority, including industrial wind turbines. Pennsylvania has made the following tangible progress toward wind energy.

    Some examples:

    --In 2006, Gov. Ed Rendell's Energy Development Authority awarded a $193,000 grant to Arizona-based Southwest Windpower to place 15 small wind turbines in highly visible locations across the state to get people thinking about alternative energy sources for their homes and businesses.

    --By 2007, school districts in Monroe and Pike counties were using 35-foot wind turbines and generating 1.8 kilowatts of electricity. Estimates are that the school buildings' energy bills were cut by 5 percent to 10 percent.

    --Also that year, Prince Gallitzin State Park near Patton in Cambria County received a 120-foot tall turbine, funded through the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The system has been generating electricity for the park office, and has been used for educational programs to spur interest in wind energy.

    --Under a state grant, St. Francis University's Renewable Energy Center in Loretto is using an anemometer to take wind measurements, factoring in that wind blows stronger the higher the tower and other considerations.

    --Small wind turbine systems also were built at Yellow Creek State Park in Indiana County, and at Promised Land, Pymatuning, Presque Isle and Tuscarora state parks.

    In that sense Pennsylvania is in the forefront of alternative energy with wind farms and solar farms.

     As the  Green Party Candidate for Governor, I pledge to work day and night in helping bring renewable energy manufacturing jobs and companies to the poor, working, and middle class of Ohio.

    Dennis Spisak- Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    1/28/10
    A green party Governor and a A Renewable Energy Initiative for Ohio

     

    As the  Green Party Candidate for Governor, I believe it’s time to call for a Renewable Energy initiative for our state.  Over the past century we have created a world dependent on oil.

     

    There are many ways to create energy. True, at this time there is nothing to date that equals the power of oil but there are new advancements in solar, wind, and geothermal technologies that are pushing the envelope on the potential or renewable energy. There will be a solution to the decline of oil only when state legislative leaders like myself and the general public make the decision to be part of the solution.

     

    I am proposing that Ohio organize a renewable energy initiative to encourage energy conservation, energy efficiency practices, and to promote the use of renewable energy in homes businesses, and industry.

     

    My initiative would have four goals:

     
    1. Reduce barriers to the use of renewable energy by providing education and assistance to help citizens plan their energy futures.
    2. Reduce the costs of renewable energy and energy efficiency products by negotiating with manufacturers, retailers, and trades people.
    3. Reduce the installation costs of renewable energy by using a neighbor helping neighbor approach and by participating with local trades people.
    4. Help citizens practice energy conservation by forming an energy assessment and action planning process.
     

    As an Green Party Candidate, I can work to help to bring renewable energy to the valley because I will not accept lobbyists or corporate PACS from the oil,coal, and nuclear industries like current Governor Ted Strickland does.

     

    Dennis Spisak-Green party candidate for Governor

     

    http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

     

    for more info contact 330-503-1407

    1/27/10

    Investing to Re-Energize Ohio

      

    According to a report from the groups Policy Matters Ohio and the Apollo Alliance,

     

    Ohio uses a large amount of energy, most of it from fuel produced elsewhere. We rank fourth among states for industrial energy use and sixth for total energy consumption. We import two-thirds of our coal, 89 percent of our natural gas, and 98 percent of our oil and petroleum products. At current energy prices, Ohioans send $20 billion a year out of our state economy. To make our economy more energy independent—by becoming more efficient, self-sustaining, and renewable—Ohio should expand its clean energy fund. Instead of sending so much of Ohio’s money out of the state and out of the country, we should create more of our own energy, use more renewable energy sources, become more energy efficient, and employ Ohio workers in the process.

     

    Eighteen states use clean energy funds to encourage consumers and suppliers to invest in clean energy products and services: by reducing equipment costs through use of consumer rebates, grants, and low-interest loans; by conducting statewide public-awareness campaigns; by providing incentives for industrial recruitment, retention, and production; and, by training workers for the green economy. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) reported that for every public dollar spent, public benefits funds for clean energy leverage an additional $3 in related business and consumer investment.  RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AN EXPANDED ADVANCED ENERGY FUND • Implement a statewide outreach campaign to educate the public on energy efficiency and renewable energy (both consumers and suppliers). Use Advanced Energy Funds to offer free energy audits to Ohioans. • Market consumer incentives such as simple customer rebates for green products. • Collect Advanced Energy Funds from all utility customers, not just investor-owned. • Provide low-income residents with solar thermal water-heating systems. • Provide more financial incentives for suppliers and potential suppliers of green energy products and service to expand Ohio’s green supply chain. • Promote economic development by providing “green incentives” with Advanced Energy Funds. Instead of offering dollars to lure companies, offer wind turbines or rooftop solar panels to reduce their energy costs and consumption. Create a Green Jobs Corps program that provides green employment services and also weaves together vocational skills training programs, union apprenticeship programs, and recognized pre-apprenticeship programs for job seekers.  Instead of sending so much of Ohio’s money out of the state and out of the country, we should create more of our own energy, use more renewable energy sources, become more energy efficient, and employ Ohio workers in the process.  Ohio’s economy is struggling due to rising energy costs. We are sending billions of dollars out of state and out of the country each year to support our energy use. Ohio should diversify its energy portfolio, reduce our energy use, create renewable energy here in Ohio, and put Ohioans to work in the process. If we reduced the amount we spend on imported energy, more money could be kept local, supporting Ohio’s economy. To stimulate the green economy, and get it off the ground, we should expand Ohio’s Advanced Energy Fund and use it to provide incentives to both suppliers and consumers of green energy products and services, educate Ohioans on their green energy options, and train Ohio’s future “greenforce.”  

    As theGreen Party Candidate for Governor, I will support the recommendations for an expanded advanced energy fund. Since I will not accept lobbyists or PACS contributions who represent out of state energy resources such as coal, oil and gas companies, I will not allow big money to influence my votes in Columbus like the current Democrats and Republicans have.

     

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info contact: 330-503-1407

    1/26/10
    Why Not Ohio? Comprehensive rail plan for Minnesota unveiled

    Green Party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak cites another news report where now Minnesota is planning to begin work on a comprehensive rail plan:

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     
         

     A statewide plan calls for investing anywhere from $6 billion to $9 billion in the next 20 years to upgrade and enhance Minnesota's ability to move freight and passengers by rail.

    The proposal, the first comprehensive rail plan Minnesota has ever tackled, was presented at a public hearing last Wednesday that was aired via videoconference to Minnesota Department of Transportation district offices across the state. It will be submitted next month to the Federal Railroad Administration for approval, a move that will put Minnesota in line to receive stimulus money for its rail transportation system.

    The plan calls for two phases: a first tier of priorities to be accomplished between 2010 and 2030, and a second tier in the more distant future, after 2030.

    An enhanced railroad system in the southwestern part of the state also will open the door to improved rail transportation northward to important hubs in Dilworth and Fargo, N.D., he said.

    Steve Ahmann of the Willmar City Council called the comprehensive rail plan "very forward-thinking."

    But he too asked for a higher priority for the Willmar rail corridor. Not only is the city a regional hub with the potential for business and industrial growth, but it also serves a surrounding region rich in agricultural production and ethanol manufacturing, Ahmann said.

    "Throughout the process we've had extensive public input," said Dan Krom, co-project manager and passenger rail director with MnDOT's Office of Passenger Rail.

    Among the priorities set forth in the final plan: development of high-speed passenger rail service to Chicago, Duluth and Rochester, and enhancement of conventional passenger rail service to St. Cloud/Moorhead, Mankato and Eau Claire, Wis.

    Freight corridors also would be maintained and upgraded to increase safety and reduce bottlenecks.

    "A coordinated regional/national system would be the goal," Krom said.

    The estimated cost for the first phase: $6.2 billion to $9.5 billion, with the passenger system accounting for more than half of these costs. The annual operating cost is estimated at $143 million to $182 million.

    The tradeoff would be a reduction in highway and traffic congestion and a more environmentally friendly form of transportation. According to MnDOT's study, fuel efficiency on rail systems is three times better than highway vehicles.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Ohio must do more than just build the 3 C's corridor. We need mass transit rail service from Cleveland-Youngstown-Pittsburgh, Cincinnati-Dayton-Toledo, as well as other corridors in the state. We need to improve fuel efficiency in Ohio as well. We can not let Ohio sit back and watch the rest of the midwest pass us by.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info: call 330-503-1407.

    1/25/10
    Pay Attention Ohio:Appalachian states should look beyond coal

    Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak cites an AP story last week that reports Appalachian states would be wise to look to more renewable green energies in the future instead of looking for coal to continue to be the answer for an energy source.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

         

     -- Coal production in Central Appalachia is likely to continue its 12-year decline, and an environmental consulting firm said Tuesday it's time policy makers and legislators in four states work to diversify the region's economy.

    A report issued by Downstream Strategies of Morgantown predicts production in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee will fall nearly 50 percent within a decade and urges those states to adopt laws, low-interest loan programs and other measures to support the development of renewable energy sources.

    The report blames the decline in part on increased competition from other coal-producing regions and other sources of energy, such as natural gas. It also points to the depletion of the most accessible, lowest-cost coal reserves and increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

    The coal industry has long been concerned about Central Appalachia's decline and faces even more challenges as legislators and the public grow interested in global climate change, renewable energy options, and cap-and-trade legislation, said Chris Hamilton, vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association.

    At the same time, the industry is struggling with a low supply of qualified workers and record levels of imported coal from Colombia, Venezuela and Indonesia.

    "There's general acceptance that we're going to need every form of power available to accommodate future growth in our energy demands in our country, and it makes sense to have a balanced energy portfolio," Hamilton said. "But coal is a finite resource and it should be managed within the context of an overall energy portfolio based on volume and reserves."

    The new report was authored by Downstream Strategies President Evan Hansen and energy and climate change researcher Rory McIlmoil.

    McIlmoil is a former community activist with Whitesville-based Coal River Mountain Watch, which has been advocating construction of a wind farm on a mountaintop destined for strip mining, but Downstream Strategies says its work was not funded by any group.

    The report contends new jobs and tax revenues could be created by focusing on renewable energy like wind, solar and hydropower, and it says states should require that 25 percent of their energy portfolios come from renewable sources by 2025.

    On Monday, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell called on lawmakers in that state to approve a tax credit of $500 per position for employers who create green jobs over the next five years. McDonnell also said he wanted to turn Virginia into an energy leader by leasing off-shore drilling rights and increasing coal, natural gas and biofuel production.

    Annual coal production in Central Appalachia last peaked in 1997 at 290 million tons, but fell to 235 million tons by 2008 even as national production climbed, the report said. It also says new projections suggest the region's production may drop another 46 percent by 2020, and 58 percent by 2035, to just 99 million tons.

    Data on the federal Energy Information Administration's Web site shows variations among the Appalachian states in recent years.

    While 2008 production levels in Kentucky and West Virginia were up 4.4 percent and 2.8 percent respectively from the previous year, production fell 2.5 percent in Virginia and 12.1 percent in Tennessee. Statistics for 2009 were not yet posted, but the EIA estimates production fell more than 7 percent nationwide as consumption declined.

    Power plants, in particular, cut coal consumption by 10 percent last year, the agency said.

    The agency predicts coal production in 2010 will still be down by about 4.6 percent.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    It's time for Ohio to wake up and also realize that coal is not the answer for fixing Ohio's energy problems in the future. Blue -Green renewable energies are the answer, and that we must do better than the 12 1/2 mandate the current leadership in Columbus is calling for by 2025. The answer is more blue-green energy faster. Wake up Ted Strickland.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info contact 330-503-1407

    1/23/10

    Why Not Ohio? Michigan to Repower Detroit with Solar Roofs for as Low as $6,000

    Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak cites another Green Options Report that shows another midwestern state beating Ohio in advancing green renewable energies for the area.

    -----------------------------------------------------------

    Michigan Gov to Repower Detroit With Solar Roofs for as Low as $6,000

    In 2007, Michigan’s Governor Granholm had instigated one of the most progressive climate targets of any state in the US, to achieve an EU Kyoto Accord level of greenhouse gas reduction of 20% below 1990 by 2020.

    To get there, she set out a combination of renewable energy incentives that make solar roofs in the nearly abandoned city a slam dunk, and which could bring out-of-pocket costs down to as little as $6,000.

    In 2007, she signed the ambitious target. And to get there, she invited some serious thinkers to analyze the cost-effectiveness of various policy options. After a more than a year of intensive stakeholder collaboration and cost-benefit analysis, they recommended 54 climate mitigation policy actions to lower greenhouse gases and achieve a $25 billion net gain in the gross state product.

    One of the policy options recommended was “Incentives to Promote Renewable Energy Systems Implementation”.

    She took their advice and budgeted $25 million for solar rebates. Now the local utility, DTE Energy, as part of the its compliance plan under the state Renewable Portfolio Standard - which requires that it buy more renewable energy each year - will pay residents to install solar power that feeds the grid. They can stop the offer only once their customers have collectively installed 5 MW of solar power.

    Because the rebate pays $2,400 for every KW installed, a 5 KW system would be $12,000 off.

    Like all Americans, Detroit homeowners would get the new 30% tax credit, which would reduce cost another $6,900, leaving an out-of-pocket cost of just $6,000, according to calculations by Solar Fred at Solar Power Rocks.

    In addition, the utility will continue to pay a Feed-in Tariff of 11 cents per kilowatt-hour. This would bring in income year after year, which Solar Fred estimates, assuming average Detroit rain, snow and a good roof orientation, could amount to a tidy $610 or so a year.

    To those people who live in the Rogue States that have not passed climate and renewable energy legislation, it must seem inconceivable that an electric utility would actually pay you to put solar on your roof to compete with their rates. But once built, renewable energy will be much cheaper than fossil energy, because the fuel is free and non-polluting. And climate legislation makes that initial switch happen.

    And what more fitting way to re-energize the city that suffered the most from fossil fuels - than with a 25 to 40 year supply of fossil-free energy.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Once again, we see Ohio Governor Ted Strickland lagging behind in bringing more and better green renewable energy resources to the Buckeye State. It's time we elect a truely Progressive Green Party Governor in Ohio to reverse these current trends.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info contact: 330-503-1407

    1/22/10
    How A Green Party Governor Would Confront Economic Inequality

    By electing Green Party candidate Dennis Spisak as Ohio Governor we would see Ohio move forward in reducing economic inequality by first reversing the Taft tax cuts of the early 2000's. High income Ohioans are much less taxed today then they used to be. Raising taxes on the top 1% back to historical levels can pay for part of a stronger safety net that limits economic inequality.

    By eliminating this tax inequality, we could provide health care for all Ohioans. We also need to close tax loopholes that lets corporations, drug companies, shift profits to low-tax jurisdictions overseas which cost billions more in lost taxes.

    Http://votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    1/21/10
    Ted Strickland: The Governor Big Money Can Buy
    Green Party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak says Ted Strickland should be happy over today's U.S. Supreme Court decision which allows corporations unlimted campaign funding of candidates, since Ted Strickland loves raking in big money from health care, drug companies, insurance companies, and power companies.

    Ted Strickland has never met a major donor he didn't accept from. From the Secretary of State's office, Ted Strickland's Donor list looks like a Who's Who's list from a Republican candidate's donor list:

    Medical Mutual: $10,000
    Liberty Mutual: $6,000
    Western Southern and Life: $6,000
    Grange Mutual: $5,000
    National City Bank: $5,000
    Americal Mutual: $2,000
    Ohio Bankers PAC: $1,000
    Pfizer: $1,000
    Eli Lilly: $1,000
    United Mine Workers: $5,000
    Duke Energy: $3,395
    Dayton Power and Light PAC: $1,000

    Green Party Candidates do not accept donations from Lobbyists or Political Action Committees! Ted Strickland and the Democrats are no different than the Republicans. Big Business speaks louder than the people.

    It's time to put people first! Time to put people ahead of corporations. Something Ted Strickland or John Kasich will never do.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407

    1/21/10
    What A Green Party Governor would mean for Ohio's Healthcare Reform

    By electing Green Party candidate Dennis Spisak as Governor Ohio would see a proactive push for the Health Care for All Ohioans Act. This Single-payer healthcare plan would be a major focus of being adopted in Ohio.

    The number one reason to reform Ohio health care is because to simply improve the life of all Ohioans. Under the current system Ohioans must bear the financial burden of medical costs and many have no health care or have been bankrupted by health costs. It doesn't have to be this way as every wealthy country has univesal coverage. Universal health care would be cheaper and better than our current system.

    The second reason is to have a society that helps its less fortunate members. The Health Care for All Ohioans Act would be a cornerstone for a new New Deal. This is key to our domestic rebirth in Ohio.

    Governor Strickland does not support the Act. He supports keeping the status quo and big insurance companies and HMO's that suck high premiums from Ohioans. Ted Strickland has spent too much time being courted by health insurance lobbyists. It's time to move Ohio foward into the 21st century with Single-Payer Health Care.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407.

    1/20/10
    Fixing the Imbalance Between Ohio's Business and Individual Taxes

    Ohio Green Party candidate Dennis Spisak calls for raising the Commercial Activity Tax. the tax is currently too low to reimburse schools and local governments. By Raising the CAT, revenues would allow for paying schedule reimbursements as well as add money to the General Revenue Fund. The Cat could raise at least $50 million for the state.

    Ohio should also retain some of the income tax portion of the corporate franchise tax. Retaining at least 1/5 of it's former rate would give the state at least $200 million per year.

    Ohio should also scale back the Homestead Property Tax Credit from it's 2008-2009 modifications. Returning to it's former level would save the state $257 million per year.

     

    Http://votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info contact 330-503-1407

     

    1/19/10
    How a Green Party Governor Would Fix Ohio's Budget Problems.

    How would a Green Party Ohio Governor fix Ohio's budget problems?

    Green Party Candidate Dennis Spisak would restructure the 2005 tax changes that lowered income taxes for wealthy taxpapers. The Office of Budget and Manaagement says reversing just one year of the income tax cuts would bring in $422 million dollars. To help low-income households,raise the amount households can make before owing an income tax. Implement an Ohio Earned Income Tax Credit system like the Federal EITC. Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia have this credit in place which would bring low-income familes out of poverty.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info, contact 330-503-1407

    1/18/10
    Why Not Ohio? Rooftops Rentals Sour With Generous Canadian Feed-In Tariff
    Since September, when the Ontario Power Authority began its generous payment for rooftop solar power, Toronto’s commercial roof acreage has become the site of a new renewable energy gold rush by solar developers now able to earn a steady income farming solar power to local utilities for 20 years.

    Solar developers are willing to rent a part of a building that previously had no value, that is now prime solar real estate. How much is this new income for the building owner? It could be as much as $12,000 a year.

     

    Ontario Power  Authority will now pay between 53 cents and 71 cents per kilowatt-hour for solar electricity. The utility guarantees a speedy, expedited connection to the grid so solar developers can be assured of a quick start to their earnings. And they are not the only beneficiary. The building owner and the solar developer both stand to gain.

    Under the arrangement the utility pays the Feed-in Tariff amount monthly for 20 years. Once built, the solar farms can be expected to generate a steady income for 20 years to the solar developer.

    Once they sign the lease, the solar companies design, build, and perform the maintenance on the system at no cost to the building owner. Both the solar developer and the building owner can earn money on the deal. Either a percent of the monthly payments from the utility can go directly to the building owner, or the solar developer can simply pay rent, averaging about 30 cents per square foot.

    For example, a 250-kilowatt system that would take up 40,000 square feet on the roof would mean the building owner would earn about $1,000 a month in rent.  At the end of the 20 year contract with the utility, the solar developer transfers the system to the building owner who then can benefit from the electricity for what could potentially be at least another 20 years, at slightly less efficiency.

    Alternatively, compensation might be a guarantee to supply solar-sourced electricity over two decades for less than what a building owner currently pays, as CarbonFree Technology of Toronto has done. Of course the building has to undergo inspection to ensure that it can take the weight of such large solar arrays, because it may not have been engineered to handle that kind of load.  (at least to put onto buildings) solar arrays.

    Since September 1st, when the offer was announced, business has taken off. GTE, Ozz Solar, Helios Energy, Rumble Energy and SunOne Energy Canada are among a growing list of solar rooftop space aggregators knocking on doors.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    When will Governor Ted STrickland push for feed-in tariffs here in Ohio?

    If he is the "Progreesive Green" Governor that he claims to be, he would be pushing for feed-in tariffs to be built into the Ohio Legislature. instead, Ted Strickland still continues to push for Nuclear and Dirty Coal Plants to make up two-thirds of Ohio's Energy needs.

    It's time to move Ohio foward with feed-in tariffs.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

    for more info: contact 330-503-1407


     
     

    1/17/10
    Why Not Ohio? Indiana now has Feed-In Tariff Bill Introduced

    Green Party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak cites a report last week written by Paul Gipe that now Indiana has joined Wisconsin in having a feed-in tariff bill introduced in their legislative body. Why not Ohio?

     Why is Ohio not pushing for the same action? Is it because Ted Strickland is not the Green Power Alternative Renewable Energy leader that he claims to be? Why is every other Midwest state now looking at Feed-In tariff bills while Ted Strickland looks a $1,000 a plate rubber chicken fund raising dinners with Bill Clinton?

    According to the report, Representative Matt Pierce (D-61st, Bloomington) introduced AB 1190 into the Indiana General Assembly January 7, 2010. The bill is the first comprehensive proposal for a system of feed-in tariffs in the current legislative sessions that have begun in states across the US.

    The bill to create a system of what Representative Pierce calls Advanced Renewable Energy Contracts was referred to the Assembly Committee on Commerce, Energy, Technology and Utilities. Representative Pierce is vice chair of the committee.

    Representative Pierce had introduced a previous bill on feed-in tariffs in the 2009 session. AB 1190 has been extensively rewritten and has incorporated the feed-in tariffs, or renewable energy rates as they will be called in Indiana, recently introduced in the Canadian province of Ontario.

    The proposed rates in AB 1190 have been adapted to the Indiana context by incorporating two tracks: one track with US federal subsidies, one track without. Unlike Ontario, where there are no federal subsidies for renewable energy, some Indiana projects could qualify for US federal subsidies. However, not all potential renewable energy generators in Indiana may be able to use the federal subsidies. For those who may not be able to use the federal subsidies, Representative Pierce has proposed the second track where the feed-in rates are proportionally higher.

    Republican Governor Mitch Daniels and the legislature have liked to characterize Indiana as a potential renewable energy hub of the Midwest.

    AB 1190 tries to go Ontario one better as competition for renewable energy heats up in North America's heartland. Representative Pierce has proposed a sophisticated system of rates for wind energy that is based on the intensity of the wind resource. Both Germany and France successfully use a similar policy and the concept has been raised frequently in Ontario. However, the Canadian province has yet to adopt such a program.

    Differentiating the rates for wind energy based on the wind resource is used by Germany and France both to spread development opportunity to more farmers and rural landowners than one, single rate for wind energy, but also to avoid the concentration of wind turbines in only the windiest regions. Such a proposal in Indiana would give farmers in central Indiana as much opportunity to develop their wind resource as farmers in northern Indiana where it is windier.

    And in another departure from Ontario, Representative Pierce has proposed specific tariffs for small wind turbines like those that would be used by individual households. While AB 1190's proposed rates for small wind turbines are less than those that will likely go into effect this April in Great Britain, they are the first of their kind in North America.

    In other provisions, the bill requires the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to review the renewable energy rates paid to new generators beginning in 2012. AB 1190 directs the IURC's review to ensure the rates are sufficient for the rapid development of renewable energy without resulting in excessive profits for generators or excessive costs to ratepayers.

    The bill establishes an equalization program to spread the costs of the policy across all ratepayers so that no one utility or its ratepayers absorb more than their fair share of the costs of the program.

    AB 1190 creates a statewide registry of generators and requires the IURC to issue annual reports on the robustness of the program in meeting the bill's objective of encouraging the rapid and sustainable development of renewable energy in Indiana.

     

    A Republican Governor wants to make Indiana the Region's Renewable Energy Hub?

    Why not Ohio? Why Ted, WHY?

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    1/16/10
    Why Not Ohio? Renewable Energy and Economic Potential

    Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor Dennis Spisak asks why Ohio is not doing more to bring wind energy to rural parts of the Buckeye State. The Center for Rural Affairs released an analysis on the economic potential of wind energy development entitled, Renewable Energy and Economic Potential in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. The report examines economic impact, job creation and wind resources in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.


    Expanding production of renewable electricity to 20% of the nation's electrical generation has the potential to create a large number of new jobs in the rural Midwest and Great Plains, according to unpublished analyses from the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The analysis projects that Kansas would gain nearly 3,100 long-term jobs in operations and maintenance of wind farms, Nebraska over 3,500 jobs, South Dakota over 3,900 jobs and Iowa over 9,000 jobs. An even higher number of medium-term jobs, averaging one year in duration, would be created - jobs related to manufacturing, site preparation and turbine construction.

    Nationally, the analysis projects that reaching 20% of electrical generation from wind would result in 1.75 million full-time jobs during wind turbine construction and 1.6 million new, permanent operational (post-construction) jobs created.

    Why isn't wind power on the forefront of Ted Strickland's re-election platform? Is it because he still wants Ohio to supply 75% of it's power from dirty coal and nuke plants? Is it because he is the puppet to dirty coal and nuke lobbyists? Only The Governor can answer these questions, and his actions, supporting the nuclear site in Piketon, supporting the Coal plant in Meigs County,  speak louder than his words.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info contact 330-503-1407

    1/15/10
    Why Not Ohio? Wisconsin First in Midwest to Introduce Feed-in Tariff Bill in 2010

    Ohio Green Party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak says while Ted Strickland was entertaining Bill Clinton at $1,000 a plate fundraisers last week, Wisconsin was the first state in the Midwest to introduce a feed-in tariff bill in 2010.

    Once again we see other states passing Ohio in producing 21st century legistlation that would aid development of green alternative energy resources and jobs.

    According to the story bu Paul Gipe,

    Powerful Wisconsin legislators were first out of the gate in a brewing race to be the first to pass feed-in tariff legislation in the Midwest.

    Representatives Spencer Black (D-77th, Madison) and James Soletski (D-88th, Green Bay), along with cosponsors Senator Mark Miller (D-16th, Monona) and Senator Jeffrey Plale (D-7th, Milwaukee) introduced AB 649 on January 6th, 2010.

    The bill, a comprehensive revision of laws governing energy and electric utilities in Wisconsin, was referred to the Special Committee on Clean Energy Jobs.

    AB 649 includes a section creating a system of feed-in tariffs for renewable energy.

    Assemblymember Black is chair of the Assembly's Committee on Natural Resources and Assemblymember Soletski is chair of the Committee on Energy and Utilities.

    Senator Miller is the chair of both the Senate's Committee on the Environment and the Committee on Finance. Senator Plale is chair of the Committee on Commerce, Utilities, Energy, and Rail.

    The bill's section on feed-in tariffs directs the state's Public Service Commission to determine the specifics of the program. After a lengthy docket in 2009, Wisconsin's PSC had deferred implementing its own feed-in tariff program without a clear mandate from the legislature. AB 649 is in part a result of the PSC's earlier inaction and a desire by Governor Doyle and the legislature to lead off the new year with action on climate change.

    The bill must pass both the assembly and the senate and be signed by Governor Doyle before it becomes law.

    Indiana, Michigan, and Minnesota legislators are also expected to introduce feed-in tariff bills this legislative session.

    AB 649 includes provisions for wind, solar PV, biogas, and "other" renewable technologies. Only utilities with sales greater than 2.5 TWh per year will be required to offer the feed-in tariffs.

    The bill's objective is "to maximize the development and deployment of distributed renewable energy generation technologies . . . without unreasonable impacts on electric utility rates."

    Importantly, AB 649 stipulates that the price paid per kilowatt-hour must include the cost of generation for that type of generator, a reasonable rate of return, and any federal or state incentives, such as the federal renewable energy tax credit. Thus, the tariffs offered will not be based on "avoided cost" as in California, or the value of the electricity to the utility.

    The PSC is to set limits on the amount of generation permitted under the program for each technology. As a consequence, there will be a rush by commercial developers to seize as many contracts as possible, potentially squeezing out homeowners, farmers, and small businesses from developing their own resources.

    In a nod to a key provision in successful European policies and that in Ontario as well, the bill says tariffs "may" be based on different size classes within each technology. Creation of different size tranches within technologies, especially for solar PV, is regarded as a critical measure to prevent hoarding of contracts by large, multi-national developers.

    Ontario, with five tranches of feed-in tariffs for solar PV alone, went even farther than that proposed in Wisconsin and set aside a special micro-FIT program for systems less 10 kW. Ontario also guaranteed expedited connection for systems less than 500 kW. Both measures were intended to insure that local residents and businesses could profit from the program despite the pressure from out of province and out of country developers.

    Wisconsin's AB 649 assigns any renewable energy credits produced to the purchasing utility.

    The bill also specifies that 6 percent of all electricity generated by 2020 must be produced from in-state renewable resources, and 10 percent by 2025.

    In 2007, Wisconsin generated 60 TWh. The in-state 2020 target of 6 percent would require approximately 3.6 TWh per year. The 2025 target would require about 6 TWh per year from in-state renewables.

    Under Wisconsin conditions, such a requirement could result in the installation of thousands of megawatts of wind or solar PV. Typical wind farms in the Midwest generate about 2,000 kWh/kW/year of installed capacity. Typical solar PV systems generate about 1,000 kWh/kW/year of installed DC capacity.

    Why Not Ohio? Why does Ted Strickland not lead the charge for Feed-in tariffs? Is it because the dirty coal and power lobbyists have him in their back pocket?

    Is it because Ted Strickland is not the progressive Governor he makes himself out to be?

    Green party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak will push for Feed-in tariffs in Ohio. Ted Strickland, sadly, won't. And the's the bottom line.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info contact: 330-503-1407

    1/14/10
    Why not Ohio? Australians Earn $10,000 from Rooftop Solar Power

    Ohio Green Party Governor Dennis Spisak cites a Green Options report where the government there allows residents to earn money from solar panels.

    Why Not Ohio? Why no feed-in tariffs for Ohio Citizens? Is it because Ted Strickland is in the pockets of coal-fired electric plants and fails to allow citizens to feed-in to the grid, thus zapping coal profits for his dirty coal lobbyists?

    According to the report in Green Options,
    The New South Wales government has just introduced a Solar Bonus Scheme that could have residents earning as much as $10,000 a year to send clean electricity to the grid from solar panels on their own roofs.

    The incentive is a Feed-in Tariff like the one that was so popular in Germany that they ran out of solar panels last year, and that shook up the global solar market when Spain introduced theirs a few years ago, because they paid enough so that average homeowners could earn money from adding solar panels on their roofs.

    The NSW government expects that most homeowner&#8217;s earnings would tend to be more in the range of $1,500 a year, just based on extra roof space estimates. But they could be in for a surprise. German homeowners were very resourceful in finding space somewhere for solar arrays, even over fences, churches, barns and pastures, once offered a way to pay for a renewable energy power plant without going into debt.

    A Feed-in Tariff is a cash payment for renewable electricity produced, by anybody. You don&#8217;t have to be a utility to make electricity and supply it to the grid. If you have enough space (and sun) on your roof to supply both your own electricity needs and some extra for the grid, that extra going to the grid is paid for by your utility.

    Two essentials are needed to make a Feed-in Tariff succeed:

    1. The payment must be cash. A &#8220;credit&#8221; on your bill that expires at the end of each year, like California offers, tends to discourage homeowners from installing over-sized systems that send free energy to the utility.
    2. At least two to one payment ratio. The relationship between the retail cost that you pay for your utility electricity, and the amount that your utility must pay you if you supply it. Germany initially paid three times the retail rate.

    NSW electricity costs 19 cents per kwh, and they will pay 60 cents per kwh. That is why this is poised for the same kind of rocketing success that Germany saw with three times retail, and perhaps even more, as Australia is blessed with great insolation.

    Both the German and the Spanish programs have contributed to the drop in solar prices that benefit everybody worldwide, by increasing solar adoption so fast. The three to one rates don&#8217;t have to remain that high. Germany has now tapered down its incentive to two times the retail rate.

    Feed-in Tariffs are a way to push renewable energy onto the grid fast and affordably, both for homeowners, and for utility ratepayers who no longer have to subsidize either the new utility-scale power plants that would otherwise have to be built, or the new transmission costs to bring the power from them.

    Ted Strickland could do much more for solar power, except he doesn't have too, he has to make sure his dirty coal lobbyists make the money instead of homeowners.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info contact: 330-503-1407

    1/12/10
    Ted Strickland: A Lefty before the Election, a Righty Afterwards

    Ever seen the Green Party announced their candidate for Governor, Dennis Spisak, who immediately went after Ted Strickland's  record of never seeing a nuke or dirty coal plant he didn't like, some of Teddy's Blogger Boys have been quick ever since to roll out every new Green Idea the Governor has.

    This will be the same all throughout this 2010 campaign. Ted Strickland will try to portray himself as the liberal populist Governor before the election, and then revert back to his right-leaning way of governing IF he is re-elected.

    That's why Progressives need to stay strong and vote Green this November. Ted Strickland will lie to you to get your vote. When Ted Strickland speaks out against Nukes and dirty coal plants then he can call himself a progressive. Until then, He is a conservative in liberal clothing.

    Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info: contact 330-503-1407

    1/12/10
    Why Not Ohio? Indiana gets Electric Car Plant

    Ohio Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak cites an AP report last week that Indiana is receiving an electric car plant. Why not Ohio?

    Every midwestern state is beating Ohio and bringing new jobs to help curb their high unemployment numbers, except Ohio.  These are the new blue-green jobs Ohio needs for the 21st century.

    According to the AP,  An electric car maker plans to open a factory in a northern Indiana plant that once made parts for recreational vehicles.

    State and local officials planned to join executives from Think North America for an official announcement last Tuesday. The plant in Elkhart will be Think North America's first in the U.S. and provide much-needed jobs in a city that has been struggling since the RV industry collapsed during the recession.

    Think North America, a subsidiary of Norwegian-based Think Global, projects its new factory could have 415 full-time jobs by 2013. Think Global currently makes its compact, two-door electric passenger cars at a plant in Finland.

    The company began looking in Elkhart after negotiations broke down last week with the owner of a property in the nearby town of Middlebury, said Tom Kemeny, Think North America's chief financial officer.

    The Elkhart City Council gave initial approval Monday night to a 10-year tax abatement plan for the company.

    Gov. Mitch Daniels was to take part in the formal announcement Tuesday afternoon at the former facility for Philips Products, which made doors and windows for the RV industry. That plant, which had about 250 workers, closed last summer.

    Barkley Garrett, the city's economic development director, said city officials worked through the weekend to complete the deal with the company after it ended talks for the Middlebury site.

    "We're not poaching other communities' projects," Garrett said. "We knew our site was a backup site. We were not involved in negotiations until they contacted us."

    Two other companies are working on plans to make electric vehicles in nearby Wakarusa.

    Navistar International Corp. plans to build all-electric delivery trucks this year with a $39 million federal grant. Startup Electric Motors Corp. (OOTC:EMCO) intends to make electric-hybrid drive trains to be installed in various vehicles, starting with a joint venture with Gulf Stream that would make light-duty electric trucks.

    Elkhart County's unemployment rate peaked in March at 18.9 percent but has fallen steadily since, hitting 14.5 percent in November.

    "I don't think it makes any difference who gets this company or where they go as long as they go in Elkhart County," County Council President John Leatherman said. "What we're trying to build here is an electric car cluster, which is really a new diversification for this economy."

     Why not Ohio?

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    for more info contact 330-503-1407

     
     
     

    1/11/10
    Economic Benefits of Public Programs: Why Federal Dollars Should Be Invested in the States

    Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor Dennis Spisak would seek more federal aid to help put people back to work in Ohio.

    As federal aid to states has a very high economic multiplier effect or "bang for the buck," states are some of the most effective vehicles for job creation.  Moody's Analytics finds that every federal dollar spent on extending unemployment insurance benefits fosters $1.61 in economic activity.  Similarly, a federal dollar spent on:

    • Temporarily increasing food stamps creates $1.74 in economic activity
    • Aiding state governments creates $1.41 in economic activity
    • Investing in infrastructure creates $1.57 in economic activity

    On the other hand, tax cuts and credits generally do not produce similar economic benefits as assisting families or state governments.  For instance, a dollar spent on cutting the corporate income tax only results in $0.32 of economic activity.  As a result, direct relief to states and a concerted effort to create and sustain jobs for Americans on Main Street is the most prudent course of action.On the flip side, The Economic Policy Institute states the unique danger of state budget cuts, which can ripple through the economy as teachers, nurses and police are laid off, state funds supporting private sector activity are reduced, and individuals receiving state support stop spending in their local communities.

    for more info contact: 330-503-1407

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    1/10/10

    Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor Dennis Spisak is calling for Ohio to adopt the SEIA Solar Bill of Rights to help get solar energy quicker and faster to Ohio families and to boost Ohio employment through the growth of solar power jobs, manufacturing companies, and research and development facilities.

    By "adopting" this Solar Bill of Rights, we can more Ohio to the forefront of solar usage and job creation, a lot faster than Ted Strickland's proposed 25% plan by year 2025.

    Solar Bill of Rights©


    We declare these rights not on behalf of our companies, but on behalf of our customers and our country.  We seek no more than the freedom to compete on equal terms and no more than the liberty for consumers to choose the energy source they think best. 


    1.      Americans have the right to put solar on their homes or businesses.

    Millions of Americans want to put solar on the roof of their home or business, but many are prevented from doing so by local restrictions. Some homeowners associations have prevented residents from going solar through neighborhood covenants, which allow for the association to veto any changes to a property’s aesthetics. Some utilities and municipalities have also made it prohibitively time-consuming and/or expensive to have a system permitted or inspected.

     

    2.      Americans have the right to connect their solar energy system to the grid with uniform national standards.

    Currently, each state (in some cases, each utility) has a unique process for connecting solar systems to the local electricity grid. National interconnection standards will create a uniform process and paperwork, creating a simple process for the homeowner and a standardized physical connection for manufacturers. Connecting a home solar system shouldn’t be any more complicated for the homeowner than setting up an Internet connection.

     

    3.      Americans have the right to Net Meter and be compensated at the very least with full retail electricity rates.

    Residential solar systems generate excess electricity in the middle of the day, when the owners aren’t usually at home. Net metering requires the utility company to credit any excess generation to the customer at full retail rates at a minimum – effectively running the electricity meter backwards when the system is generating more electricity than the occupants of the house are using. Allowing customers to net meter is critical to making solar an economically viable option for most homeowners.  


    4.      The solar industry has the right to a fair competitive environment.

    The highly profitable fossil fuel industries have received tens of billions of dollars in subsidies from the federal government for decades. In addition, fossil fuel industries are protected from bearing the full social costs of the pollution they produce. The solar energy industry and the public expect a fair playing field, with all energy sources evaluated based on their full, life-cycle costs and benefits to society.  Therefore it is critical that solar energy receive the same level of support, for the same duration, as the fossil fuel industry.


    5.      The solar industry has the right to equal access to public lands.

    America has some of the best solar resources in the world, which are often on public lands overseen by the federal government.  But even though oil and gas industries have been granted access to 45 million acres of public lands, the federal government has yet to approve a single solar project application for development.  Solar is a clean, renewable American resource and access to public lands is a critical component of any national strategy to expand our use of renewable energy.


    6.      The solar industry has the right to sell its power across a new, 21st century transmission grid.

    Over the last 100 years, the transmission grid in the United States has been built as a patchwork of local systems, designed and planned to meet local needs.  As the needs of customers have changed, so has the way the electric industry does business.  What haven’t changed are the rules crafted in an era of coal-fired power plants. What is needed now is an investment in infrastructure to connect areas rich in solar resources with major population centers. 

     

    7.      Americans have the right to buy solar electricity from their utility

    Many utility companies have never considered offering their customers the option to purchase clean solar energy, rather than dirty energy from coal or other fossil fuels. Nation-wide over 90% of people support increased use of solar energy, and over three-quarters believe it should be a major priority of the federal government. Despite this, only around 25% of utility customers in the US have the ability to actually purchase clean, renewable power from their utility, and only a fraction of those programs offer solar energy.  Utilities should be required to offer the electricity source that their customers want.


    8.      Americans have the right to – and should expect – the highest ethical treatment from the solar industry.

    Solar energy systems are an investment as much as a physical product. Consumers deserve top-quality information and treatment from solar energy providers and installers. Consumers should expect the solar industry to minimize its environmental impact through panel recycling and other programs, and communicate information about available incentives in a clear, accurate and accessible manner. Finally, consumers should expect that solar systems will work better than advertised, and that companies will make every good faith effort to support solar owners over the life of their systems.

     

    This Solar Bill of Rights is why we need a Green Party Governor to lead Ohio past 2010!

     

    For more info contact (330) 503-1407

     

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    1/9/10
    What Progressive Changes A Green Party Governor would bring to Ohio

    By electing Dennis Spisak, the Ohio Green Party candidate for Governor this year, Ohio would begin moving in a progressive manner providing progressive changes to help the poor and working class bring themselves out of the 21st Century Great Recession.

    What kind of progressive changes could Ohio accomplish?, fellow Green Party Member Howdie Hawkins wrote the following this past week:

    It could have been different. When the Democrats swept into power, they had a mandate for bold progressive change. They could have enacted, with broad Center-to-Left popular support, a Green New Deal to address the interrelated crises of energy, climate, and economic depression. Instead of bailing out the big banks and automakers, they could have nationalized them on the cheap when they were insolvent. Public banks could have then restructured millions of mortgages on affordable, long-term, fixed-rate terms for homeowners facing foreclosure. The automakers could have been retrofitted to produce electric cars, mass transit, wind turbines, and solar panels just as the federal government had them make tanks, trucks, and airplanes for World War II. With investments from public banks and federal infrastructure spending guaranteeing a market for a green reconstruction of the nation's energy and transportation systems, US manufacturing, jobs, and the whole economy could have been renewed on a sustainable basis.

    It could have been different. But what to do now?

    The Democratic Party has been the graveyard for every broad progressive movement since the Populists more than a century ago. 2010 should be the year when progressive movements finally break their dependence on the corporate-sponsored Democrats and present their programs directly to the voters through their own independent candidates and party.

    Let's make the choice in 2010 between a Green New Deal and the corporatism of the two old parties.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info: contact (330) 503-1407


    1/8/10
    Why is Ted Strickland Stoppping New Jobs From Entering Ohio?

    Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor Dennis Spisak wants more blue-green jobs to enter Ohio. Current Governor Ted Strickland is stopping such jobs at our state borders because he is a slave to nuke and dirty coal lobbyists, who continue to push for moer and more nuke and coal plants to be built in Ohio.

    Blue Green jobs can save Ohio's economy and put people back to work.

    From the organization Repower America, Studies show that comprehensive clean energy and climate policies can generate a net increase of 1.7 million new American jobs — jobs that can’t be outsourced and that use the skills of today’s workers. Repowering America with clean energy would also revitalize our manufacturing sector, providing a needed boost to the U.S. automotive industry and to states that are struggling from the loss of factories and mills during the recent economic downturn.

    Repowering America with a clean energy economy will also put more of our hard-earned money back into the pockets of working families. With new comprehensive clean energy policies, American households could start seeing savings within just a few years, and these savings could reach an average of $900 per household per year by 2030. Shifting to clean renewable energy sources available here in the U.S. — like the sun and the wind — will also help release us from the grip of volatile energy prices. Coupled with energy efficiency measures, Americans could start to see immediate savings.

    Right now, the world’s leading economies and companies are engaged in a race to develop new 21st century technologies to support a global clean energy future. If we want to remain competitive in the global economy, the United States needs to lead this effort — but we are currently lagging behind. Other countries are sharpening their competitive edge already: General Motors uses a Korean company to supply the battery cells for the new electric Chevrolet Volt vehicle – because the most advanced technology of this kind comes from Korean manufacturers — not American manufacturers. With an eye towards the future, China has adopted the most aggressive energy efficiency program in the world, providing incentives and support to rapidly grow their own domestic clean energy economy. America is founded on a spirit of ingenuity, innovation, and hard work. Americans should be leading the transition to a global clean energy future. It’s time to Repower America.

    It's time to repower Ohio with more and new Blue-Green jobs, not dirty coal or nuke plants. Is Ted Strickland listening to us? No. Is he listening to Nuke and Dirty Coal Lobbyists? The Answer is a Definite YES!

    for more info: contact (330) 503-1407

    1/7/10
    Why Not Ohio? North Dakota builds Wind Farm in 4 Months
    According to a report from Green Options, A North Dakota rural electric cooperative made history on New Year’s Eve, in completing the nation’s largest wind project to be entirely owned by a consumer cooperative.

    The $240 million, 115.5 MW wind farm was begun in August and completed a mere four months later; three and a half hours before midnight on the last night of 2009. GE supplied the 77 1.5 MW turbines.

    North Dakota’s Basin Electric is a rural electricity cooperative that generates and transmits electricity to 136 member rural electric systems in nine states: indirectly serving about 2.8 million consumers in nine states.

    By the end of 2010 the cooperative hopes that it will produce 20% of its electricity from wind power for its 2.8 million rural consumers in parts of rural Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

    Achieving that lofty goal will be quite a leap. In 2005 Basin Electric got 94% of its electricity from coal and less than 1% from wind.

    But if any organization can do it, it would be one that can build a 115 MW wind farm in four months. One that got the preliminary environmental reviews and permitting done in just one Spring during which they:

    • Completed an Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act
    • Communicated with the county and townships, seeking input/approval on project development, construction and operation
    • Conducted landowner meetings seeking input to identify farming needs in relation to site layout
    • Coordinated and received input from multiple state and federal agencies
    • Developed a site layout that avoids wetlands, cultural resources, residences, roads and transmission lines
    • Received a Certificate of Site Compatibility from the North Dakota Public Service Commission

    Though the Prairie Winds 1 farm is spread out across 30,000 acres (the larger a wind farm is; the more it helps in evening out wind intermittency, as its always blowing somewhere), each turbine actually requires less than one acre of land, and farming can take place around the turbines.

    Cooperatives have no taxes, as they make no profits. Margins must be used to improve or maintain operations, set aside in reserves, or distributed to the membership. As a result, they are not eligible for the 30% production tax credits that can make financing new renewable energy projects easier.

    But, to make up for that, of about $2 billion in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds that have been made available by the Department of Energy for non-profits like schools and churches to build renewable energy, about $460 million went to rural electricity cooperatives.

    But maybe that proportion should be looked at again, for three reasons.

    1. Rural empty states are where the wind is.
    2. Rural empty states are where electricity cooperatives are.
    3. Rural empty state’s cooperatives are beating national averages in bringing the most renewable energy online the fastest.

    Renewable capacity among rural electricity cooperatives grew 65% in 2008. The rest of us: 25%.

    Why can't Ohio develop this type of leadership to bring such wind power to Ohio? Is it because Governor Ted Strickland is a fan of dirty coal and refuses to work fast and hard enough to bring Wind power to Ohio before 2025? Is it because Ted Strickland is a pawn to dirty coal lobbyists in Ohio?

    Actions speak louder than words, Ted. And your actions or in-actions, speak volumes.

    Dennis Spisak-Ohio Green Party Candidate for Governor

    (330) 503-1407

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    1/6/10
    While Ted Strickland Entertained Bill Clinton, Thousands of Ohioans Went to Bed With No Health Care
    Ohio Green Party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak commented today that while Governor Ted Strickland entertained Bill Clinton yesterday at $1,000 a plate fund raisers in Toledo and Youngstown, thousands of Ohioans went to bed last night still with no health care coverage.

    Instead of trying to push the Health Care for All Ohioans Act through the Ohio House and Senate, Ted Strickland wined and dined with folks who could afford their own health care plans.

    The single-payer health care system that Dennis Spisak advocates for Ohio under the Health Care For All Ohioans Act is one in which every resident would have comprehensive medical coverage with the bills paid by a government-administered fund – a sort of Medicare for all. There would be no co-payments, no deductibles and no premiums. There would be no exclusions because of income, job status, pre-existing conditions or any other reason. Delivery of medical services would remain in private hands. Patients would have the right to select their own physicians.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    For more info contact 330-503-1407

    1/6/10How a Green Party Governor would handle foreclosures in Ohio
    Foreclosures and their impacts on homeowners and communities can be reduced by requiring that lenders and borrowers go through mandatory mediation, by creating a disincentive to foreclosure by requiring banks to pay to properly maintain homes they foreclose on, and by giving foreclosed homeowners the right to rent their homes for some years after foreclosure. Strengthening state enforcement against fraud and other abuses, while giving whistleblower protections to employees at lending institutions, will further help deter predatory and fraudulent practices.
    Although record foreclosures are currently wreaking havoc in communities across the nation, the federal response has been weak and has so far failed to stem the rising tide of foreclosures. Many borrowers have little or no contact with their creditor prior to foreclosure, not to mention attempts to modify the mortgage. Mandating foreclosure mediation brings the parties together, which will lower the number of foreclosures without allocating scarce resources. Requiring lenders foreclosing on homes to maintain those properties and giving foreclosed homeowners the right to remain in their homes as renters for a specific amount of time (5-10 years) will keep vacant homes from contributing to blight, and help prevent homeowners from having their families' lives disrupted. By cracking down on illegal practices by predatory lenders, states can stop the exploitation of moderate- and low-income communities.
    Average Americans are absolutely incensed about what appears to be a rigged financial system where businesses destroy jobs and wealth, only to be rewarded with government bailouts. Additionally, homeowners who thought themselves financially secure are now vulnerable in a way most never even contemplated. State leaders have a political opening to take strong action to address these concerns. Indeed much of the voter discontent that has recently been recorded is the result of anxiety from economic problems, and voters should respond favorably to actions that are low cost, but effective in reducing foreclosures and bankruptcies. The current economic turmoil has also sparked a significant increase in populist sentiment, which continues to grow as major bad actors in the financial industry swing quickly to profitability and reinstate obscene pay structures. A direct push against these institutions by empowering their workers through whistleblower protections will bring predatory practices to light, reinforcing sentiment in favor of reform.
     
     
     
     
     
     

    1/5/10
    To Fix Ohio, Government Must Do More

    Today's economic disconent is much less likely to be replaced by other concerns in 2010. That's why Green Party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak is calling on government to do more for working Ohioans, not less.

    "People are worries about their finances and the state of the economy, possible loss of health insurance and homes, as well as unemployment figures near historic highs. Ohioans want a government to be more intense in helping people in this time of what Ted Strickland calls the Great Recession," said Spisak.

    "We must have government provide answers to inequality and eonomic insecurity. We must flatten the Ohio income distribution without adverse effects to economic growth. We must guarentee citizens of Ohio a chance at receiving new blue-green jobs as well as universal health care throught the Health Care for All Ohioans Act," Spisak added.

    "Ohio must have progressive leadership after 2010, and the Green Party is the only party willing to advocate policies that actually help people: Single-Payer healthcare, blue-green jobs creation, and better funding of education for all," Spisak concluded.

    For more information contact: 330-503-1407

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    1/4/10

    Secretary of State recognizes Ohio Green Party as an official minor party.

    In 2008, a federal court ruling declared Ohio's election system unconstitutional on the grounds of unfair discrimination towards minor party candidates. In order to remedy these constitutional

    concerns the Ohio Secretary of State will be issuing a directive recognizing the rights of Green Party candidates to fairly participate in Ohio's elections and grant us temporary recognition as a political party for the May primary election. Pending ratification of our party's organizational plan at the upcoming Green Party State Convention and approval by the Secretary of State the Green Party will achieve legal status as a minor party in the electoral process.

    For the first time ever Ohio Greens will be able to go to their polling place and vote for Green Party candidates in the upcoming May 4, 2010 primary election. At the primary election the Green Party Primary ballot will offer Ohioans a slate of candidates running for public office and for positions as state and county party committee members.

    What this means in short is that you can now walk into your polling place on Primary Election Day, ask for a Green Party Primary Ballot, and vote for Green candidates for state and local office as well as Green candidates for the state and county party central committees. Voting in the Green Primary will make you a member of the Green Party.

    Moreover, the requirements to get your own name on the ballot as a candidate for public and party office have been drastically altered making it much easier to participate as a candidate for a newly formed minor party. The Green Party needs members, leaders, organizers, and candidates throughout the state. We strongly urge those of you who want Green values represented in our government to run for an office either as a public servant or a local party leader. If you are interested in becoming a member, running for office or establishing a local Green Party in your area contact us now.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    What does it take to make real political change?

    It takes people who have Green priorities and are willing to build the progressive alternative America wants.

    The Green Party of Ohio invites you to find out more. Vote in the Green Party Primary Election at you polling place on May 4, 2010 or become a Green Party candidate for public or party office. The Green Party State Committee is currently contacting Greens throughout the state to discuss this exciting news. Expect to hear from one of the committee members soon. If you would like to become involved respond to OGP Secretary or OGP Candidate Committee or call 740-502-6453 with the following information:

    Your name

    Your address

    Your local school district

    Your phone number

    For a Greener Future, Vote Green!

    Tim Kettler, Secretary, Green Party of Ohio

    _________________________________________________________________________________________

    Campaigns

    Petitioners needed

    The Ohio Green Party currently has candidates in two races: Dennis Spisak is running for Governor and shares the ticket with Anita Rios running as Lt. Governor. Vaughn Stull of Urichsville will be a candidate for Ohio Representative in House District 61

    In order to get on the ballot candidates must demonstrate support from the voting public by gathering signatures on petitions which must be submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State by 4pm, February 18, 2010. The Governor's race requires 500 valid signatures while the position of Ohio Representative requires 25.

    We are actively recruiting more candidates for all state and local races and foresee the need to establish a statewide network of volunteer petitioners.

    You may circulate petitions for the Green Party if you meet the following qualifications:

    1. You are a registered voter who has not voted in a primary for another party in 2008

    2. You are a newly registered voter.

    3. You are not registered to vote.

    4. You are an out of state resident.

    If you meet these qualifications and are interested in getting Greens on the ballot for the governor's race contact spikespisak@aol.com or call (330)-503-1407. For other races or for questions about petitioning contact OGP Secretary or call (740)-502-6453.

     

    1/3/10
    Let's Bring More Blue-Green Jobs to Ohio

    Dennis Spisak, the Green Party Candidate For Ohio Governor believes more should be done to bring blue-green jobs to Ohio.

    While Ted Strickland still believes in Nukes and Dirty Coal plants for fuel, Dennis believes we need to commit to blue-green jobs at a faster clip.

    The Apollo Alliance and the clean energy, good jobs economy we are working so hard to help build represents hope made real and visible. As Apollo Chairman Phil Angelides wrote this week on our blog and in an op-ed we are circulating across the nation: "Clean energy isn't a mirage. It's the fastest growing industrial sector in the United States. It is already generating $25 billion a year in sales and revenue, is growing at 30 percent a year."

    He added: "Imagine the growth in jobs, technology, equipment, suppliers, and productivity if the United States actually treated the development of clean energy as a national economic priority. And consider just as seriously the remarkable benefits to America's security, environment, economic stability, and communities that would be realized by keeping at home the nearly $400 billion that we send each year to foreign nations, many hostile to our interests, to import their oil. It's time for America to quit bailing and to start building."

    As the Apollo Alliance has noted on its Web site, in our public events, in reports, and in the just completed six-state roll out of The New Apollo Program, there is no time to spare. The old economy is sinking. A new one, gradually emerging, needs to dramatically gain speed and influence.

    1/2/09
    What a Green Party Governor would mean for Ohio's Agriculture

    By electing Dennis Spisak, Green Party candidate for Governor, the following Green Party principles would be applied to Ohio's Agricultural system:

    The Green Party of Ohio endorses, supports and seeks to implement an Agriculture Policy in the State of Ohio that follows basic Green principles that will insure a healthy food supply in Ohio:
    A. Factory farms ("industrial farming") threatens to further erode the family farms and the general quality of life in our rural areas. Family farms are the basis of community-based economics and essential to rural development and a healthy, diverse economy.
    B. The Green Party stands in opposition to a genetically engineered foods future as delivered by unaccountable transnational corporations. Ralph Nader has called for consumer revolts. The time has come! We are united in our opposition to foods that are presented unlabeled when genetically changed. U.S. biotech firms needs to be shown for what they do, food production for profit, not health.
    C. Genetically modified "Terminator" seeds that are more about "intellectual property rights" and corporate profit than they are about sustainable agricultural practices, Third-world economic independence, and health, should be banned. Labeling should fully disclose where genetically engineered (and/or irradiated) food is being supplied. Consumer choice needs to be based on full and complete disclosure. Whether it is Bt corn, genetically modified maize, or GM oilseed that finds its way into a menu of other products, the consumer needs to know and choose.
    In addition to these general policy directions, we promote for Ohio:

    1. We support the development of incentives for the conversion to organic farming methods and increased enforcement of the State's existing organic certification program and direct Ohio's extension services to enhance their support for organic food production methods.
    2. Programs to encourage development of a processing industry that is based in Ohio and supports Ohio's small farmers. That lack of local processing plants limits the markets to which farmers can sell their produce and is inconsistent with a bioregional approach to agriculture.
    3. Encourage homeowners to produce their own food through organic practices.
    4. Support community gardens in local communities.
    5. Develop and implement legislation that will make growers and patent holders of genetically modified organisms liable for cross contamination with other farmers' crops. Penalties should be severe enough to discourage this from happening.
    6. Provide support for direct marketing efforts of Ohio's farmers to Ohio's consumers.
    7. Target government food procurement (such as school lunch money or university cafeteria purchases) towards small, local farms. Make the preservation of Ohio family farms a priority especially among low income farmers.
    8. Develop a system for US DA food stamps to be used at Ohio farmer's markets easily, just as WIC (Women, Infants and Children) vouchers are used currently.
    9. Restore large farms' oversight to the Ohio EPA, reversing the law that transferred this authority to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
    10. Protect productive farmland from sprawl.
    11. The Green Party of Ohio calls for the immediate legalization of industrial Grade hemp for agricultural and industrial purposes. The Plant's versatility cannot go unnoticed for its environmental and economical potential to the people of Ohio. It is a perfect revenue crop for farmers and workers of Ohio. Hemp is non psychoactive and can yield numerous products including organic food, Clothing, Paper, Building materials, fuels, and biomass energy without cutting down more trees and using pesticides. It will further help end the reliance on "dirty" and foreign energy sources.

    for more information: contact (330) 503-1407

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    1/1/10What a Green Party Governor would mean for Ohio's Economy and Taxation

    By electing Denis Spisak, Green Party candidate for governor, Ohio's Economy and taxation would see the following improvements:

  • Ohio corporations are chartered by the State, "for the public good", and the State has the power to control corporations through their charter. Ohio has in the past even revoked charters that are abused. We need to implement legislation, specifically the state corporate code, that will enable Ohio citizens to control corporations for our service. We also need to ensure that state officeholders, specifically the Attorney General, fulfill their obligations to challenge corporations that exceed their chartered authority or seek to govern.

     

  • Ohio taxation needs to be fair and equitable. We need to eliminate tax loopholes and other forms of corporate and personal welfare for those with large assets. This will help provide resources for the investments in education, infrastructure and innovations needed to grow a healthy Ohio through the twenty first century. 
  •  
     
     

    12/31/09
    What a Green Party Governor would mean for Ohio's Labor and Employment

    By electing Dennis Spisak, the Green Party candidate for Governor in Ohio in 2010, Ohio would see the following improvements in labor and employment:

     

    Labor is the activity of sustaining our future and ourselves. We recognize the individual responsibility of work and support freedom of association in the work place.

    1. The Green Party of Ohio endorses legal right to organize and join unions with democratically elected leadership. In Ohio's Public sector, Greens are concerned with an employee's right to join a union, and with associated collective bargaining rights.
    2. We encourage the use of mediation as a tool for resolving disputes in the workplace. If the state of Ohio strengthened this tool our productivity and desirability as a work site would be greatly enhanced.
    3. The Green Party of Ohio recognizes that all Ohioans who work need to make a living wage. Corporations receiving public subsidies and contracting for public work must provide livable wage jobs, and observe basic workers rights.
    4. Forcing welfare recipients to accept jobs that pay wages below a livable income ("a living wage") drives wages down and exploits workers for private profit at public expense. We reject "workfare" as a form of slave labor for the private or public enterprise.

    For more information contact: (330) 503-1407

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

     
     

    12/30/09
    Why Not Ohio? Solar Power Plants get Utility Contracts

    For More Information contact (330) 503-1407 

    Green Party Candidate for Ohio governor Dennis Spisak is calling for the building of Solar power plants so they can compete for Public Utility Contracts, thus lessening Ohio's dependence on coal plants.

    According to a report last week from Green Options, Major power companies in Florida and New Mexico announced this week that they would start buying large amounts of energy from certain solar power producers soon.

    In New Mexico, Southwestern Public Service Company (SPSC), a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, said that it would buy 50 MW of solar power from SunEdison. From the solar panels being installed on five 10-MW sites, the electricity generated will be able to power 10,000 homes.

    In Florida, at practically the same time, Tampa Electric Company received approval from the Florida Public Service Commission to purchase solar power from Energy 5.0’s planned 25-MW plant in Polk County.

    These solar power plants will be two of the biggest in the nation when completed. They are expected to offset carbon emissions by millions of tons.

    "Ohio needs to begin the same process." said Spisak. "We have more sunshine per year then Germany, and they are the most solar active country in the world, using the same solar power plant utility contracts set up here in the states. Ohio can become a major solar player in the world once we put a Green Governor in office who won't bow to the pressures of big dirty coal lobbyists. Ted Strickland already bows to big dirty coal and that is hampering Ohio's progress in the Solar industry." Spisak concluded.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

     

    12/29/09
     
    Is Strickland the Lesser of 2 Evils?
    In Today's Youngstown Vindicator interview story, when asked why he should be re-elected, Ted Strickland say basically if you elect his opponent(Kasich) you will have to deal with 40% less revenue coming into the state coffers.

    So is Ted Strickland really the lesse of 2 evils? Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak said today neither Strickland or Kasich are good for Ohio after 2010.

    "Ted Strickland's platform in 2006, "Turnaround Ohio" has failed. He has cut early child care for children, he has failed to increase access to higher education, but has allowed higher education to increase tuitions thus denying access. He has failed to retain and attract better jobs for Ohioans and has failed in supporting the Health Care for All Ohioans Act." said Spisak.

    "John Kasich is no better. His platform will "Turnback Ohio" with his tax cuts. John Kasich sat in his Lehman Bros. office and watched the banks and Wall Street Fail. We don't need him sitting in the Governor's Mansion watching Ohio fail." Spisak added.

    Spisak concluded "the Green Party of Ohio is the only party stressing that we Turn Ohio Foward to the 21st Century with Single-payer Health care for all, blue-green jobs for all, and better funding of education for all."

    For more informaation: contact (330) 503-1407

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    12/29/09
    Get A State Tax Credit before 2009 Comes To A Close!

    For more information contact (330) 503-1407 

    Green Party Candidates do not accept donations from Lobbyists or Political Action Committees!

    Now is the time to show your support for public funding of political campaigns and help Dennis Spisak win the 2010 election for Ohio Governor! 

    A key component of Dennis' s strategy to win is the grassroots funding available to statewide candidates in Ohio. By taking advantage of the Ohio Income Tax Credit for Campaign Contributions, we can prove the viability of publicly funded campaigns and help bring an end to corporate and special interest control of our elections.

    This is not a check-off contribution to a common fund but a full tax credit for campaign contributions to a specific candidate of up to $50 per individual or $100 for couples filing jointly. This is not a deduction. It is a full tax credit. You will be reimbursed with a credit towards the taxes you are assessed by the State of Ohio when you file your 2009 return. This is a great way to promote the new priorities that need to be enacted if we are to move beyond the failed policies of our present corporate funded leadership.

    By donating now, you will help Dennis raise funds to run a winning campaign and direct our government to spend your tax dollars in support of the issues that are important to you and your family.

    Please make your check payable to:

    Spisak for Governor

    548 Poland Ave.

    Struthers,Ohio 44471

    Donate the full amount and receive the full tax credit. Remember to file this donation with your 2009 Ohio Income Tax to receive the 2009 credit. Act now. Don’t let these funds go unused!

    Ohio law mandates that your check must have your full name and address on it - PO boxes are not allowed. Contributions over $100 must include your employer’s name.

     

    12/28/09
    Spisak for Governor Supports Prosperity America Agenda on Health Care

    Green Party Candidate Dennis Spisak said today he supports the findings from the Prosperity America Annual Report on health care in America.

    "I support the Health Care for All Ohioans Act to improve and better health care for all Ohioans." said Spisak. Ted Strickland supports the President's plan which does nothing more than support the current health insurance companies and their lobbyists" Spisak added.

    Spisak supports the following Prosperity Agenda Findings on a single payer health plan for Ohio:

    A single payer system would remove the private insurance industry which puts profits before the needs of patients. This would accomplish a number of objectives. First, such a system would give people the greatest security and control over their lives. People would have greater security because health care would no longer be tied to employment. People would have access to health care as a birthright. People would have more control over their lives because they would no longer be limited to the approved insurance list of doctors, health providers, hospitals, and treatments but could choose whomever they preferred. The real death panels, insurance industry reviewers who deny health care recommended by doctors, would be put out of business.

    Second, an improved single payer system would be good for the American economy. Unlike the bills being considered in Congress, such a system would control costs, allow group negotiation of prices, and provide more predictable health care expenses for consumers, business, and government. A single-payer national health care plan would be a job creator rather than a drag on the economy. A study published this year found that such a system would create 2.8 million jobs, netting 2.2 million new jobs when insurance industry job losses were subtracted. This means hundreds of billions in new economic activity and tax revenues. And, a unified single-payer system would allow for the opportunity to capture hundreds of billions of dollars formerly lost to waste, fraud, and abuse.

    When we looked at what Congress and the White House were doing we saw single-payer, the most cost-effective and popular reform among American voters, off the table and not being considered. When President Obama held a White House summit on health care he did not invite any single-payer advocates to attend. After emails, phone calls and faxes the Obama administration invited one single-payer advocate, Dr. Oliver Fein, along with Rep. John Conyers to attend. Neither was allowed to talk at the event, but the insurance industry was the first and last speaker at the summit. From the White House summit the writing was on the wall - this "reform" was going to protect the profits of the private insurance industry. This is what Ted Strickland supports!

    For more information: Contact (330) 503-1407

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor

     

    12/27/09
     
    Strickland's Weekend Major Newspaper Press Tour: Weak Performances
    For more information: Call (330) 503-1407

    This past weekend Ted Strickland gave major newspapers interviews on his first term in office and his re-election bid.

    Green Party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak today called the articles "A weak performace by a sitting Governor who wants to be re-elected."

    "In the Toledo Blade article Strickland says the reason he should be re-elected is because he can change his mind on things," referring to his policy stance on using gambling and video slots to fund education. "I would hope all candidates for Governor would know how to change their stance on issues." said Spisak.

    In today's Youngstown Vindicator article, when asked what his message to poor people standing in food pantry lines would be, Strickland said quote "I would like to give them a meassage of hope."

    Spisak added "Is that all this Governor can offer Ohioans in 2010? I can change my mind and hope? We need a governor who is willing to use government action to do something about it. We need a Governor like myself who sees that government has a responsibility to help those in need, that everyone should be guarenteed a place to live and enough to eat. We need government action to address economic inequality and economic insecurity in 2010."

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    12/27/09
    How A Green Party Governor Would Reform Ohio Education

    Information Contact: (330) 503-1407 

    Green Party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak and the Green Party would look to reform Ohio education beginning in 2011 in the following ways:

     

    The State of Ohio must ensure that its citizens receive appropriate education opportunities in order to eradicate poverty, reduce crime, and assure proper medical care. We call for a comprehensive and holistic approach to insuring the equitable, quality education programs in Ohio. Ohio needs to the educate all of Ohio's children to sustain the well being of the entire state. The Ohio state constitution article 6 says we " will secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state" The Ohio Green Party stands behind this article of the Ohio Constitution.

    1. The Ohio Green Party supports equitable funding of all Ohio school districts, and we support the following three goals of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding:
      Goal 1: Develop a comprehensive needs assessment of current facilities.
      Goal 2: Develop standards that clearly define high quality education for Ohioans; establish a "per-pupil funding level" required to meet these standards; create a new system of funding which will assure each district adequate funds to meet these "per-pupil" standards and which will diverge from "excessive reliance on property tax as a funding source."
      Goal 3: Provide immediate relief to districts operating without the funds necessary to meet the new standards, based on need as opposed to the budget-based emergency assistance of the "School Solvency Assistance Program" or further reliance on property taxes.
    2. Meaningful civic education should be mandatory for Ohio's secondary school curriculum. Students should be involved in programs that teach them the power of democracy and the responsibility of citizenship at an early age. Programs such as student government, peer mediation and peer counseling should be used to address the ever-growing trend of emotional and psychological abuse among students that has shown in recent years to lead to violence. In this way, students should be encouraged to be part of the solution.
    3. The GPO recognizes that 20% of the adults in Ohio function at the lowest levels of literacy and that only 85% of the adults over 25 have a high school or equivalency diploma and calls for the end of the marginalization of adult literacy programs. We support funding of programs that offer adult literacy education, vocational training, and family literacy as a means to break the cycle of illiteracy and poverty.

    Current Governor Ted Strickland and the Democrats and Republicans have put education funding reform on the backburner. It's time to make funding education a number one priority in Ohio. Dennis Spisak, with his 25 years experience in public education and currently a sitting school board member, will make sure education is held in high esteem in future state budgets.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

     
     
     

    12/26/09
    What a Green Party Governor Would Mean For Ohio's Environment
    Information contact: (330) 503-1407
    Ohio Green Party's candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak would clean up Ohio's water and air! Lessen our dependence on dirty coal plants, unlike current Governor Ted "Dirty Coal" Strickland.
    Dennis Spisak would also bring in renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal energy.
    Dennis Spisak and the Ohio Green Party would also look into:
  • Investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy is key to sustainability. Just as ecological materials management is governed by the concept of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" (in priority order), ecological energy management must be governed by the principle of Conservation, Efficiency, and clean renewables. Of highest importance is to use less, then to use wisely, and to have clean production of what is used.
  • We call for the development of state energy policies that include taxes and/or fines on energy "waste," and the funding of energy research, including credits for alternative and sustainable energy use such as solar, wind, hydrogen and biomass or energy derived from industrial grade hemp or organic waste.
  • The Green Party calls for the retirement of the aging nuclear power reactors in Ohio, as soon as possible, since they are currently deteriorating, unsafe and not economical as a source of power for Ohio.
  • The Green Party recognizes that there is no such thing as nuclear waste "disposal." All six of the "low-level" nuclear waste dumps in the United States have leaked. There are no technological quick fixes which can effectively isolate nuclear waste from the biosphere for the duration of its hazardous life. Therefore, it is essential that generation of additional nuclear wastes be stopped. Current methods of underground storage are a danger to present and future generations. Any nuclear waste management strategies must be above ground, continuously monitored, retrievable and repackageable.
  • The Green Party strongly opposes any shipment of high-level nuclear waste across Ohio to the proposed Nevada waste "repository" at Yucca Mountain or any other centralized facility. The Green Party believes that this proposal is part of a move to re-fire on a fast-track, the commercial nuclear industry, if they can get their unsafe waste product ``safely disposed of.''
  • We call for independent, public-access radiation, safety and maintenance monitoring at all nuclear facilities in Ohio. We will require a neutral team of scientists and engineers to appraise the Davis-Besse and Perry plants.
  • In addition to aggressive energy conservation and efficiency measures, The Green Party of Ohio advocates the rapid and mandatory conversion to the best available clean technology in all existing and new power plants located in Ohio.
  • The Green Party of Ohio advocates the reduction of solid waste creation in the state. A "bottle bill" and "litter tax" are both elements of public policy, which are supported by the Green Party. A Green Party endorsed "bottle bill" would require a small deposit on all containers, including jars, cans, jugs, glass and plastic bottles to be paid at the time of purchase and to be refunded through source-based refund centers. Packaging, including wrappers, bags, boxes, etc., would be required to bear the name of the producer or marketer of the product, and remain the property of the producer or marketer.Waste in general needs to be reduced. Wastes, which are hazardous or toxic, need to be eliminated or minimized. The producers of waste must bear the responsibility for the ultimate conversion, recycling or ultimate disposal of these wastes.
  • The Green Party of Ohio opposes the disposal within the state of Ohio, wastes which are generated outside the state of Ohio. The challenge to any interpretation of US constitutional law, which would require Ohio to take possession of out-of-state-generated wastes is supported by the Green Party of Ohio and should be in the program of the Secretary of State, Governor and Attorney General. Aggressive measures need to be taken to end the use of Ohio as a dumping ground for solid and liquid wastes.
  • The time is now to clean up Ohio's water and air. The time is now to elect Dennis Spisak for Governor.  Don't give Ted Strickland anymore time to dirty Ohio's air, streams, and rivers with dirty coal emissions.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

     

     

    12/25/09  Merry Christmas!
     
    Ted Strickland Didn't Get His Dirty Coal Plant For Christmas

    Information contact: (330) 503-1407 

    Governor Ted Strickland did not get his lumps of coal liked he wanted this Christmas morning. Thanks to the The Ohio Environmental Council, American Municipal Power-Ohio (AMP-Ohio)cancelled plans to construct a proposed 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant on the Ohio River in Meigs County. Ever-growing costs doomed the plant, as cost projections grew from $2.5 billion just two years ago to close to $4 billion, today.

    "Green Governor" Ted wanted this coal plant badly. He opening proposed and sought to build this plant. A coal plant that would have been the one of the most dirty air pollutioning plants in the state.

    "Ted Strickland is not a green governor," said Dennis Spisak, Ohio Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor in 2010. "Ted Strickland talks a good green game plan, but his actions speak louder than words. Ted Strickland wants to continue to poison the air and water Ohioans use by building bigger and bigger dirty coal plants." Spisak added. "There is no such thing as clean coal, but the almighty coal lobbyists tell Ted a different and wrong story. We need to clean up Ohio's air and water by next Christmas, and we can only do that by electing myself as governor and sending Ted Strickland and his dirty coal plants to the sidelines." Spisak concluded.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    12/24/09
    Ohio needs to seek more green energy tax credits

    Green Party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak said today Ohio must seek more green energy tax credits from the federal government in order to be a leader in the renewable energy growth in the years to come.

    According to a report from Green Options,

    In the midst of the Copenhagen negotiations last week, the White House announced a proposal to give a huge increase in tax breaks to manufacturers who produce wind, solar, geothermal, or other clean energy technologies. The goal of the tax breaks is to stimulate more job growth and promote clean energy technology more in the US.

    With clean energy technology poised to become the third largest sales sector in the world, Obama and Biden realize that they must stimulate this field in the US a bit more to get the jobs that go with that growth.

    In the proposal set forth by the White House on Thursday, new or expanded factories making clean energy technology (i.e. electric vehicles, solar panels, high-speed trains, and wind turbines) can get a 30% tax credit. This raises the current cap on these tax credits from $2.3 billion to $7.3 billion.

    In addition to the tax credit, Obama’s proposed ‘jobs plan’ includes “increased investment in public works, small business tax cuts and incentives for homeowners who retrofit their houses to be more energy efficient.”

    "Ohio needs to jump on these tax credits as soon as possible", said Spisak. "If we want to creat jobs and stimulate the economy for the poor, working class of Ohio citizens who are currently laid off, these grants will help Ohio grow jobs in the renewable energy market", Spisak concluded.

     

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

     

    12/23/09

    Get a Tax Credit for Christmas!

    Green Party Candidates do not accept donations from Lobbyists or Political Action Committees!

    Now is the time to show your support for public funding of political campaigns and help Dennis Spisak win the 2010 election for Ohio Governor! 

    A key component of Dennis' s strategy to win is the grassroots funding available to statewide candidates in Ohio. By taking advantage of the Ohio Income Tax Credit for Campaign Contributions, we can prove the viability of publicly funded campaigns and help bring an end to corporate and special interest control of our elections.

    This is not a check-off contribution to a common fund but a full tax credit for campaign contributions to a specific candidate of up to $50 per individual or $100 for couples filing jointly. This is not a deduction. It is a full tax credit. You will be reimbursed with a credit towards the taxes you are assessed by the State of Ohio when you file your 2009 return. This is a great way to promote the new priorities that need to be enacted if we are to move beyond the failed policies of our present corporate funded leadership.

    By donating now, you will help Dennis raise funds to run a winning campaign and direct our government to spend your tax dollars in support of the issues that are important to you and your family.

    Please make your check payable to:

    Spisak for Governor

    548 Poland Ave.

    Struthers,Ohio 44471

    Donate the full amount and receive the full tax credit. Remember to file this donation with your 2009 Ohio Income Tax to receive the 2009 credit. Act now. Don’t let these funds go unused!

    Ohio law mandates that your check must have your full name and address on it - PO boxes are not allowed. Contributions over $100 must include your employer’s name.

     
     

    12/22/09

    Why Not Ohio? Huge Response to Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Launch

    Huge Response to Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Launch


    Green Party candidate for Ohio Governor cites a report by Paul Gipe last week about Ontario's Feed-in tariff program becoming a huge success.

    "This is the type of government invlivement that is needed to make a successful committment to renewable energy programs and to get them off the ground."said Spisak. "This type of program in Ohio would help people save money and begin the drive to a cleaner and greener Ohio in terms of renewable energies" he concluded.

    According to the report, Ontario's new feed-in tariff program got off to an attention-grabbing start December 16, 2009 when the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) announced that it had awarded 700 contracts for renewable energy to homeowners under its expedited microFIT program.

    Altogether, OPA received 8,000 MW of applications for wind and solar energy contracts under the province's precedent-setting, feed-in tariff policy.

    OPA's remarkable press release was well timed to send a signal, if any was intended, to the Canadian delegation in Copenhagen where Canada was singled out as "Fossil of the Year" by climate change activists for its refusal to limit greenhouse gases.

    Ontario is acting independently of Canada's federal government and plans to close all its coal-fired power plants by 2014. The province, Canada's most populous, is also aggressively developing its renewable energy industry. OPA's announcement was the first concrete indication of how fast the Ontario market may grow.

    OPA estimates that the feed-in tariff program will stimulate more than $5 billion (Canadian) in new manufacturing, design, construction, and engineering investment in the province.

    But the news that generated the most media buzz in Canada and elsewhere was the microFIT contracts. Saying the program "literally brings power to the people," Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Gerry Phillips sounded like a 1960s radical. He went on to add that the MicroFIT program "allows homeowners, farmers, schools and mom and pop businesses" to generate their own power "and get paid for it".

    Under Ontario's microFIT program, homeowners generating their own electricity from solar PV will be paid $0.80 CAD/kWh ($0.76 USD/kWh) for a period of 20 years.

    Indeed, it does sound radical, a program enabling citizens to profit from the renewable energy that falls on their rooftops. And Phillips wasn't alone in embracing the province's accomplishment-or sounding revolutionary.

    Colin Anderson, OPA's chief executive, proudly noted that "We've cut the red tape and made it simpler for ordinary Ontarians to become electricity producers."

    For Anderson and the OPA this wasn't idle boasting. They delivered North America's most aggressive renewable energy program in record-breaking time.

    OPA said it was continuing to process another 500 micoFIT applications. When awarded, OPA will have issued a total 8.6 MW of contracts--nearly all for rooftop solar PV--to generators with projects less than 10 kW. These residential solar systems will generate nearly nine million kilowatt-hours per year under Ontario conditions.

    Ontario's microFIT contracts alone will put Ontario close to one of the top ten markets for solar PV in North America. Yet the microFIT contracts represent just the tip of the iceberg.

    Of the 8,000 MW of applications for feed-in tariffs, nearly 1,300 MW were for solar PV, and 6,300 MW were for wind energy.

    Unfortunately, there is only 2,500 MW of grid capacity available in the first phase of OPA's feed-in tariff program. Another 1,500 MW of grid expansion is currently under construction.

    In the meantime, OPA is giving preference to projects that are "shovel-ready" to get as much renewable energy in the ground as quickly as possible.

    Within three to five years there could be as much as 4,000 MW of new renewable capacity in Ontario. Under Ontario conditions this would be roughly 3% to 5% of the province's electricity consumption. If achieved, this would be the most rapid growth of renewable energy in North America outside Texas.

    For comparison, California--the one-time renewable energy leader in North America--currently generates only slightly more than 2% of its electricity consumption from new renewables.

    Ontario has clearly put itself on the renewable energy map. This time next year we can judge the province by what really counts: not by the contracts awarded, but by the hardware installed.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

     
     
     

    12/21/09
     
    Dear Santa, Save Health Insurance Companies, Signed Ted

    Don't look for Governor Ted Strickland to anytime soon endorse the Health Care for All Ohioans Act anytime during his administration says Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak.

    "Ted Strickland, controlled by coal and nuke lobbyists, also is a puppet when it comes to health care insurance lobbyists" said Spisak.

    Spisak cites a Cleveland.com story which cites the following report: A Strickland spokeswoman said that the governor, a Democrat, thinks a government-run plan "should be affordable so it creates true competition without risking running health insurance companies out of business."

    "As long as Ted Strickland supports health care insurance companies, Low-income and working Ohioans will continue to see higher insurance rates." said Spisak. "The Governor does not care about healthcare for all, just healthcare that allows his health care insurance lobbyists to continue to gouge the public with higher premiums and costs in the future."

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

     
     

    12/20/09
     
    Ohio Green Party: We Support the Health Care For All Ohioans Act

    The Ohio Green Party and the candidate for Governor, Dennis Spisak, supports the Health Care for all Ohioans Act that would provide coverage for the full range of inpatient and outpatient hospital care, preventive care, mental health,vision,hearing, prescription drugs,dental,emergency services,rehabilitation services, hospice care, home care, healthy maitenance care, medical devices, and all other necessary medical services as determined by any state licensed, certified, or registered health care provider. It provides timely emergency health care services in each county, including hospital care and trage, and necessary transportation in each county to access covered health care services.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    12/19/09
    Ted Strickland is still a Friend of KING COAL

    While some "progressive" blogs are hailing Governor Ted Strickland as the Green Power Governor because of his commiyment to 25% of renewable energy sources powering Ohio by 2025, Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak announced today that Ted is still a friend and lover of DIRTY COAL.

    "Ted Strickland's energy policy thus calls for the remaining 75% of energy needs to come form nuke plants or building bigger and dirtier coal plants" said Spisak. "Environment Ohio executive director Erin Bower notes that 87 percent of the state’s electricity comes from burning coal, compared with a national average of 53 percent. Ohio is ranked fourth nationally in its contributions to the country’s carbon dioxide emissions problem, Ohio ranks second nationally in the amount of those emissions coming from coal-fired power plants." said Spisak. "Bower has also commented that “The important thing is that the Legislature and our governor really listen to Ohioans across the state who are clamoring for alternatives to being so dependent on fossil fuels, which are putting Ohio at the top of the list for mercury pollution and smog and soot pollution,” she said.

     "The facts are Ted Strickland will never move fast enough or massive enough on clean renewable energies" said Spisak. "He is powered and manipulated by nuke and coal lobbyists and will continue to be if elected to a second term as Governor." Spisak concluded.

    12/18/09

    Ohio needs more Geothermal Systems on Ohio Campuses

    Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak is calling for more geothermal power systems to heat and cool Ohio college campuses. Spisak cites an AP story this week that states "While solar and wind power get most of the headlines, geothermal power is quietly being placed on college campuses where energy costs can take millions of dolalrs each year from the school budgets."

    The article points out that 46 colleges and universities across the country are divvying up millions in federal stimulus dollars to advance technology that uses the temperature of the Earth, rather than coal-fired power plants, to heat and cool buildings. So far this year, the Department of Energy has announced $400 million in grants to advance these geothermal projects.

    By going to geothermal power, colleges rely less on coal fired plants to heat their campuses. This cuts down on dirty emissions as well as costs to the schools" said Spisak. "Thus, colleges switching to geothermal heating can eventually keep tuition costs down as well as clean up their enivronments at the same time. Ohio should become a leader in this type of program and require all college campuses to follow this lead and make Ohio college campuses air friendly while passing the savings on to students through lower tuition rates." Spisak concluded.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    12/17/09 Strickland and the Democrats throw Minorities and Unions Under the Budget Bus !
     
    Today Green Canidate for Governor Dennis Spisak commented on how Governor Ted Strickland once again hurt minorities and unions in his quest to save ther state budget.
     
    "Today Ted Strickland and the Democrats proved once again they are no friend of labor or minorities. By making changes to the State Construction Bidding Process they were willing to turn back 132 years of progress for minorities and unions to get a balanced budget." said Spisak.
     
    "Ted Strickland knew he had budget problems facing him this year since he took office back in 2006. To wait until LATE 2009 to try and fix the budget hole and then to make it harder for minorities and unions to get state construction contracts shows you the Democrats care for these two groups as much as the Republicans do. Neither party cares. That's why minorities and unions should come to a new home and support the Ohio Green Party in the 2010 elections." Spisak concluded.

    12/17/09
    Nine Basic Principles to Reforming Ohio Education

    Nine Basic Principles to

    Guide School Finance Reform

     Each student has a fundamental right to a high quality public education.

     There must be a process established to define thecomponents of a high quality education. The components must be updated on a regular basis.

     Phantom revenue must be eliminated.

     An objective process to determine cost must be established.

     School funding is a state responsibility.

     Educational opportunities must extend from Pre-K through grade 12.

     Enforceability of the right of students high quality educational opportunities must be included in the package.

     The over-reliance on property tax must be reduced. Property tax relief must be achieved.

     The quality of education must not be a function of school district property valuation or district income.

    Dennis Spisak for Ohio Governor

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

    12/16/09

    Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak cites an AP Story last week that reports  Indiana regulators have ordered the state's largest electric companies to offer uniform low-income weatherization and other energy-efficiency programs aimed at conserving 2 percent of the utilities' power output within 10 years.

    "Once again we see another state moving ahead of Ohio in helping it's citizens lower there utility costs and conserve power output." said Spisak. 

    According to the AP story, The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, which issued the order last week, said the steps ordered by the panel would push Indiana past Ohio and Michigan for energy savings and allow it to challenge Illinois as a regional leader.

    The Utility Regulatory Commission's order also will extend the low-income weatherization expansion that will upgrade about 30,000 Indiana homes over three years under federal stimulus spending, Menzer said.

    "Once again we see another state moving ahead of Ohio in helping their citizens." said Spisak. "When will the current administration put people ahead of utility lobbyists?" He concluded.

    12/15/09
    The Real Cost of Renewable Energy

    The costs of generating solar power will be on par with the costs of power made from fossil fuels like natural gas and coal within a decade, according to clean-tech research and publishing firm Clean Edge and green-economy nonprofit Co-op America. The two groups collaborated on a report, the Utility Solar Assessment (USA) Study, to provide a roadmap for utilities, solar companies, and regulators to work together so the nation can derive 10 percent or more of its power from the sun by 2025.

    In related news, the Financial Times reported that the U.S. is set to overtake Germany as the world’s largest wind market in 2009. American wind energy is riding the wave of an investment boom accounting for a 45 percent jump in capacity last year alone.

    As the Green Party Candidate for Governor, I will work in Columbus to help continue to cut renewable energy costs so it can be made more affordable to the poor, working, and middle class. Now is a pivotal moment for renewable energy in the United States. There is a real opportunity here for companies to stake a major claim in the market because there has been a pent-up demand.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

     

     

    12/14/09Green Ted Strickland: Coal and Nuke Cheerleader

    Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak said today that while Ted Strickland talks a nice Green Energy game, he is really a coal and nuke supporter.

    "Actions, or inactions speak louder than words." said Spisak. "Ted Strickland can go to all the energy conferences and talk about how he wants to bring wind energy to Ohio, but in reality, his actions as Governor show he is in the pockets of Nuke and Coal Lobbyists here in the Buckeye State."

    Spisak points out the following scorecard on Strickland as Governor:

    "1. He did not oppose the proposed nuke reactor at Piketon.

     2. He did not oppose the AMP Coal Plant in Meigs County,but promoted it.

     3. His energy plan for Ohio calls for more Nukes and Clean Coal. Ohio does not need more troublesome nuke plants like Davis-Bessie in the state and is there no such thing as "clean coal." The Governor is blowing smoke when he says he is a Green Energy Governor" Spisak concluded.

     Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/

     

     
     

    12/11/09
     
    Why Not Ohio? Solar Power Cheaper than Electricity in New Jersey

    Ohio Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak announced today that in New Jersey, solar power is cheaper for home owners than electricity. "According to reports from Green Options, residents of New Jersey can now get solar power installed in their homes which is cheaper than buying electricty from the power company." Spisak said. "Once again, we see another progressive state other than Ohio trying to find ways to lower costs to consumers through new renewable energies like solar power."

    "As a candidate for Governor, I would see such comapnies and programs to locate here in Ohio to provide the same type of advantages for all Ohioans." said Spisak.

    According to the report, you don’t have to get a credit check to buy electricity from a utility.  You don’t need one to buy your very own solar power supply either. A company in New Jersey is offering a solar PPA to homeowners to buy cheap power off their roof with no credit check.

    Not only does this put paying a solar bill on an even playing field with paying an electric bill, but Sunergy is offering this arrangement for 25% of utility rates in the state. After a small down payment, their residential solar power purchase agreement enables homeowners to buy their electricity for $0.05 per kilowatt-hour in a state where utility electricity costs $0.20 per kilowatt-hour.

    How can they do that? Isn’t solar more expensive than utility electricity? Well, no, actually, solar is cheaper.

    One of the little known facts is that solar is already far, far cheaper than utility energy. If you compare apples to apples: twenty five years to twenty five years.

    It already truly does only cost 25% or less of what utility electricity costs… If you were to pay for all 25 years at once for utility electricity. Of course, you don’t. You pay monthly, and so you simply have no idea that you are paying more money over that time.

    In New Jersey utility electricity rates have been going up about 6.5% annually. Say last year’s monthly bills averaged $100, this years will average to $106.50.  But, with the seasonal ups and downs of electric bills you really never notice this sort of creeping inflation - yet it can really add up. 

    Someone who will spend about $100,000 on utility electricity for 25 years, typically needs about a $20,000 solar roof to replace their utility kilowatt-hours a month. Sunergy has leveraged this fact to be able to offer homeowners a PPA that reflects that saving. A PPA is a power purchase agreement - like you have with your utility.  The difference is: the power plant is on your roof. Just big enough for you. Like your utility, Sunergy owns the solar power plant, and sells you the power.

     This company is the first to really demonstrate that solar is already cheaper.

    “We all want to save the environment,” said US Solargy CEO David Wei, “and our company provides a way for everyone to participate in that important goal.”

    Solar electricity is not just clean, sensible, climate-friendly electricity, but it is cheaper too.

    12/10/09

    Dear Ted, Ohio Cointinues To Fall Behind Other States In Wind Turbines

    Ohio Green Party Candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak announced today that in just one week another two states are passing Ohio in moving towards more Wind Turbines to produce renewable energies and jobs.

    "California and even Wyoming announced plans to build wind turbine farms to make gains in renewable energy while Ted Strickland and Ohio stands still." said Spisak. "We have the land, work force, and facilities to build such farms, but Governor Strickland continues to work with dirty coal plants to fuel Ohio's Future. This is the wrong direction for the 21st Century." he added.

     Utilities got a boost last year, when the new investment tax credits from the federal government were extended to allow public utilities to qualify for the full credit, to help utilities invest in renewable power. Since utilities must get more renewable power onto the grid (in all of the states with Renewable Portfolio Standards), extending the ITC to them, too, is the right means to help them do just that.

    The 246 MW Manzana project has transmission in place on about 7,000 acres favorable wind resources in the Tehachapi region. If approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, the project could begin producing power by December 2011.

    The project would be the third renewable energy project announced in a month for Kern County, a site with abundant resources and transmission lines.

    Last month PG&E was awarded R&D funding from the Department of Energy to start on a groundbreaking Smart Grid project; the nation’s second ever compressed-air energy storage (CAES) facility. The first post-carbon fossil-fueled plant in the world to provide hydrogen power to run a gas plant, with carbon capture and storage, is also being built in Kern County: Scientific American: Kyoto Accord to Hydrogen-Power California.

    The total capital cost of the Manzana project will be just over $900 million, which includes payments to Iberdrola Renewables; the US division of the Spanish wind giant, to develop and build the facility, along with other costs that PG&E will incur. PG&E will make progress payments as significant milestones are met.

    The site would produce up to 670 gigawatt-hours per year, and beginning in 2012; PG&E’s 15 million customers will pay an average $0.25 more per month to start paying back the investment in clean renewable zero carbon wind power.

    In Wyoming,Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK PRA) (NYSE:DUK) says it has brought a 99-megawatt wind farm on line in Converse County.

    The Campbell Hill project's 66 turbines produce enough electricity to power about 30,000 homes each year.

    Duke says the project will supply wind energy to PacifiCorp (AMEX:PPW.PR) (OTCBB:PPWRL) (OTCBB:PPWLO) (OTCBB:PPWLM) (OTCBB:PPWLL) under a 20-year purchase agreement.

    Duke Energy also has announced plans to build a 200-megawatt wind power project near Casper next year.

     
     

    12/09/09
     
    Ohio Public Radio Interviews Dennis Spisak on his run for Governor...
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    12/09/09Why Not Ohio? Massachetts Governor looking for more wind turbine power for state.

    In a press release last week, Massachetts Governor Deval Patrick announced that National Grid and Cape Wind have agreed to enter into negotiations for a long-term contract under which the utility would purchase the electricity generated by Cape Wind. Such a Power Purchase Agreement will be a critical requirement for financing the proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound, and getting it into construction and operation in time to qualify for federal incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that would reduce the cost of the project by 30%. 'For both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and launching the offshore wind industry that will achieve those reductions, it is essential for Cape Wind, like offshore wind in general, to move from wishful thinking to reality,' said Governor Patrick. 'A contract with an electric distribution utility like National Grid will move Cape Wind one step closer to reality.' Governor Patrick noted that this is a major milestone for what is expected to be the first offshore wind project in the United States."

    "Here you have a Governor who believes in Wind Turbine power to help energize his state, unlike our own Governor Strickland." said Dennis Spisak, Green Party Candidate for Ohio Governor. "Ohio needs a governor like Patrick who believes in Green power. I am that candidate. Governor Strickland and John Kasich only give lip service to becoming a renewable enery state. They still believe in dirty coal to bring Ohio out of this energy recession, a move that will not work." Spisak concluded.

    Http://www.votespisak.org/governor/
     

    12/8/09
    EPA Endangerment Finding and Green Party Candidate Dennis Spisak for Governor : Progress for a Better Ohio

    In a major climate development, the EPA yesterday formally determined that greenhouse gas pollution imperils the health and well-being of present and future generations. This finding sets the stage for U.S. and Ohio action.

    EDF President Fred Krupp issued the following statement:

    "The danger of global warming pollution is clear and present, the solutions are at hand, and the time for action is now. It's time for Congress to finish its work on U.S. legislation to cap and reduce the 19 million tons of heat-trapping pollution we emit every day. American leadership on climate change will strengthen our security, wean us off of foreign oil, and ensure that America wins the race to clean energy innovation in the global market place."



    Green Party candidate for Governor Dennis Spisak announced "This is a great moment for the state of Ohio to move forward in creating renewable energy jobs, companies, and industry. Spisak added, "No longer will Ohioans have to live with mercury in our air and water from dirty coal plants. We can move forward in building solar, wind turbines, and geothermal plants while showing dirty coal lobbyists the exit doors at the statehouse."



    .

    Spisak for Governor *548 Poland Ave* Struthers * Ohio * 44471