Oh, wait, it’s only a restaurant/bar — not that any city officials have been critical of the county development group’s recent focus on attracting retail. Hey, now Lima is in the game — and offering tax breaks for a BW3 to move a couple miles. Good times are acoming to Lima. The county commissioners are loaning money to lure a Chuck E. Cheese and City Council is heaving the cost of government onto the rest of us to bring bar jobs.

Click on the picture and look at ‘em good. Those are the people — minus the two standing on the ends in the back row, Tom Tebben and Tommy Pitts, who weren’t there for the vote — who believe you should pay for police and fire service for a business that likely would have made this move anyway. This way, there’s some government assistance attached, so they’ve done something to “bring jobs.”

Do you suppose we, the taxpayers who will pay for the services (not that bars ever need police service), will get a discount on food or beer? Or do you suppose City Council just agreed to, pardon the term, piss away our tax money for more service jobs?

Per the story in The Lima News, BW3 will receive a 15-year, 50 percent tax abatement on real estate in exchange for brining 18 full-time and 27 part-time jobs into the city and creating another 18 full-time and 17-part time jobs. That’s economic development, folks. Big doings in Lima. We’re getting a new, old sports bar.

Someone ought to congratulate City Council and the administration for this stroke of economic genius — perhaps by voting for the other guys, whoever that might be when the time comes.

A Zogby poll shows a majority of Americans surveyed want Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr and whatever-he-represents Ralph Nader included in the presidential debates. Bad news, Americans: Republicans and Democrats control the debates, and as long as you keep mindlessly voting for these two options — because, gasp!, only they can win — they will control the format, which means excluding anything that shows how similar the Republican and Democratic parties are, particularly on the national level.

Yes, there are differences. Obama wants to leave Iraq. Now that the Democrats control Congress and there is no chance they can pass, McCain supports the Bush tax cuts he once opposed. Also, with Pelosi blocking a vote on drilling in Alaska and offshore, McCain is firmly for that, too.

But, Republican or Democratic, the solution to your every problem lies in Washington. Why else would they have a platform on every issue, particularly on those that should come with this answer: That’s not the job of the federal government.

Anyway, Barr and Nader supporters, dream on. The American people want to hear from your candidates, but the American people don’t control the political process. Republicans and Democrats do.

The Zogby findings:

UTICA, New York - More than half of likely voters nationwide - 55% - want Republican-turned-Libertarian Bob Barr to participate in presidential debates this fall, while nearly half - 46% - said they think Ralph Nader should be allowed into the on-stage fray, the latest Zogby Interactive polling shows.

Among political independents, 69% said Barr should be at a lectern with Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, and a majority of Republicans and Democrats agreed. Among Democrats, 52% said they think Barr should participate, while 50% of Republicans agreed.

Thirty-nine percent of Democrats and 41% of Republicans said they did not think Barr should be included in the debates.

Zogby release is here.

Lima police Chief Greg Garlock doesn’t think Lima’s 2nd Ward councilman, Sam McLean, who chairs the Safety Services Committee, needs to hold a meeting on a proposal from Sheriff Dan Beck. (story here)

 Never mind that one council member referred this to McLean’s committee, another seconded that motion and seven of eight councilors present agreed to send it there. Garlock doesn’t think there ought to be a meeting, so — you know, Sam — just ignore what voters of the city’s 2nd Ward elected you to do. Dave will appreciate it, after all.

Good. Just what Lima needs. Beck proposes something, for political gain. The administration says no, for political purpose. I’ll help, provided you do it my way, Beck says. No, but we’ll take the help (which we admit we need) on our own terms, Garlock tells Beck. Do we get a third choice next year for mayor?

But, all the usual squabbling between Beck and Berger (or a Berger administrator) aside, what McLean does will be interesting. Does he act like a good administrative lappie, as so many councilors do, or does he hold the committee meeting, possibly risking the ire of Berger and Co.?

Click here (well, on the blue that says Garlock letter to McLean) to read the Garlock letter to McLean.

A federal judge in Cleveland ruled against the strip bars. No biggie. But, he finds that government may reasonably regulate your First Amendment rights, so long as you have them most of the day. Meanwhile, those in Ohio government are succeeding in their goal of catching Michigan in terms of worst economies. Leave it to Ohio lawmakers to kill jobs as they worry about trying to attract them.

From The Associated Press:

Judge won’t block Ohio strip club law

By M.R. KROPKO, Associated Press Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) — A federal judge on Friday denied a request to block an Ohio law approved last year that restricts dancers’ performances at strip clubs and the hours of operation at adult book or video stores.  

Business owners, who said the law was hurting business, sued after it took effect last fall, saying it was an unconstitutional violation of free speech.

U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. ruled against their motion for a preliminary order to block enforcement, finding that plaintiffs had not proved the law violates the rights of sexually oriented businesses in Ohio. He also ruled that the law doesn’t significantly harm them.

“The businesses may still operate for the remaining 18 hours a day,”‘ Oliver wrote. “Therefore, (the law) is merely a reasonable regulation on the time, place and manner in which plaintiffs may exercise their First Amendment rights.’”

The statewide crackdown on sexually oriented businesses, pushed by a conservative Christian group and adopted by the Republican-controlled state Legislature in May 2007, was allowed to become law by Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland without his signature.

The law, which went into effect in October, prohibits touching between customers and nude or seminude dancers. It also halts nude dancing in strip clubs after midnight and prohibits adult bookstores and theaters from remaining open between midnight and 6 a.m.

The business owners’ lawsuit remains open. Oliver has scheduled a case status conference for Aug. 21. 

The smiling guy to the left is Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern, who’s also a state representative. Chris apparently was in a foul mood Wednesday. 

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern put out quite a nasty news release shortly after the Republicans named attorney D. Michael Crites as their candidate to become Ohio attorney general. Redfern, apparently getting ready for third grade this fall, referred to Crites as a third-tier candidate, largely because, unlike those Redfern worships, Crites hasn’t spent his life bouncing from elected office to elected office.

 But, really, even giving Redfern the point that the Republicans did spend a lot of time trying to find a candidate with some name recognition, if Crites is this unworthy, what does it say about a state party chairman who wastes this much energy attacking?

Redfern’s big-boy news release follows:

COLUMBUS - The Ohio Democratic Party responded today to the Ohio Republican Party’s selection of attorney D. Michael Crites as their candidate for Ohio Attorney General.  After months of begging top-tier and second-tier candidates to enter the race, the Ohio Republican Party finally accepted rejection and settled on Mr. Crites. 

In contrast to Ohio Treasurer and Democratic Attorney General candidate Richard Cordray, D. Michael Crites has never run for statewide office.  As a defense attorney, Crites stood up for a client who stole $10,000 from the Ohio Treasury by downplaying the crime as a ‘one-time mistake.’  (”Theft gets supervisor one year in prison,” Columbus Dispatch, January 2001)

“Michael Crites has all of the attributes that you might expect to find in a third-tier Republican candidate,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern.  “Michael Crites chased headlines as prosecutor by going after baseball great Pete Rose, but he earned his paycheck as a defense attorney by standing up for an individual who stole $10,000 from the Ohio Treasury and downplaying the crime against Ohio taxpayers as a ‘one-time mistake.’”

At least 12 potential candidates declined to seek the office under the Ohio Republican banner.  Excuses ranged from not wanting the job to not wanting to take a pay cut.  One would-be Republican candidate cited high gas prices as part of his excuse for not running.iublican Party’s Struggle to Find AG Candidate

From the Dayton Daily News:  “First the big names dropped out, now even the unknowns are shying away from being the Republican nominee for attorney general.”  [Dayton Daily News, 6/20/08]

ORP Deputy Chairman Said Ideal Candidates “Are Few And Far Between.”  According to Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine, “it would be great if we had a candidate with high name identification who could self-fund the race. … But they are few and far between.” [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 5/15/08]

From Republican Consultant:  “One GOP consultant … said Cordray’s emergence will make it harder for Republicans to field a top-shelf candidate.” [Columbus Dispatch, 6/11/08]

“DeWine, considered the party’s leading candidate for the job … outright removed his name from consideration” [Columbus Dispatch, 6/10/08]

Former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman

Portman Said He Intends To Get Back Into Public Service, But AG Not The Right Office.  “I returned from Washington eight months ago, and I enjoy being home,” Portman told the Columbus Dispatch, adding that the attorney general opening “is not the best timing for me.”  However, Portman said that he “intend[s] to get back into public service in the future.” [Columbus Dispatch, 6/1/08]

U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce

“I really didn’t feel I was the right candidate to run this time for a variety of reasons, including the short time I could serve,” said Petro. [Columbus Dispatch, 6/24/08]

“I talked to [GOP Chairman Bob Bennett] on Saturday and said, ‘Look Bob, this is not going to work,’ ” Petro said. [Columbus Dispatch, 6/23/08]

Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper

State Senator Tim Grendell

Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer

“The state’s most prominent potential candidates … [including] Ohio Supreme Court Justice Maureen O’Connor … have taken themselves out of contention.” [Columbus Dispatch, 6/21/08]

Hamilton County Prosecutor and Former State Treasurer Joe Deters

“Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, a former state treasurer, also has said he’s not interested.” [Cincinnati Enquirer 6/12/08]

This is actually the first paragraph from an Associated Press story about war powers:

“WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress should pass legislation to require the president to consult lawmakers before going to war, according to a bipartisan study group chaired by former secretaries of state James Baker III and Warren Christopher. “

What an idea. Some radicals once shared such a silly idea, but the U.S. Constitution has meant little to recent presidents or their lappies in Congress. For everyone else’s sake, the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8:“The Congress shall have power to …

“To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;”

The rest of the AP story follows. (more…)