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Thursday, June 07, 2007

Green Party Says No to "Undemocratic" Jail Tax

Josh Krekeler, convener of the Southwest Ohio Green Party, says the party's backing the referendum campaign to put the jail tax on the November ballot.


Local "Greens," he writes in an e-mail, find the county commissioners' decision to institute the tax without a vote "inappropriate, particularly for a project with so much potential social impact...The people of Hamilton County deserve a chance to decide if this is the right approach to public safety."


The group's concerns:


- The Commissioners should implement solutions to the inefficient intake and processing functions of the current system, including ways to keep some non-violent offenders out of the Justice Center altogether, and then assess the usage rate of existing facilities. Until this is done, the claim of "overcrowding" will appear to be a manufactured crisis.


- The County should focus its budget priorities on preventing INITIAL appearances in jail; the need to address recidivism will decrease proportionately. Planning for an increasing rate of incarceration is an ineffective and immoral long-term strategy.


- Funding the plan with a sales tax increase would disproportionately and unfairly impact lower-income citizens.


- Finally, enacting the tax increase directly is undemocratic. The failure of a similar, less costly proposal indicates that this plan may be contrary to the will of the people.



E-mail Krekeler at jollygreenjosh@fuse.net.


18 Comments:

at 5:38 PM, June 07, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Greens tanked Gore's election to elect Bush. Good result there.

Now they're teaming up with Finney and his COAST buddies to tank a Democratic plan to reform our criminal justice system. The result, if they are successful, will be only a new jail. Brilliant.

 
at 6:46 PM, June 07, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

All three of them?

 
at 8:34 PM, June 07, 2007 Blogger Yossarian said...

Wait a sec - How many members are in the green party in Cincinnati? Really - 20 - maybe 25 people. And I believe that half those people thought they were signing up for a free candle or something.

Is this really count as a political party? Two dozen people, a half used bottle of patchouli oil, and an 8th grade concept of civics - that is the formula of the green party in Cincinnati.

 
at 8:53 PM, June 07, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Al Bore won the 2000 election and allowed Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris to steal it just like Kerry gave it away to Blackwell in Ohio in 2004.

Bore ran such a horrible campaign that he couldn't win his own state. He wasn't talking about global warming back then was he? Can anybody remember what he was talking about???

The Green's are teaming up with the NAACP and the Cincinnati Progressive Alliance because they are the ones leading the charge to put this regressive jail tax on the ballot for voters to reject again.

Why do the unDemocrats hate democracy? Why not let the people decide? The County Emperors couldn't get a special election where poor people and African Americans weren't likely to show up so they just rammed it through. Brilliant move! Way to lose your majority real fast.

The jails wouldn't be overcrowded if it weren't for Pepper and Cecil Thomas pushing a draconian marijuana ordinance. Berding, Cole and Cranley voted for it too.

Why'd Portune vote for the last failed jail tax he criticises now?

Republicans and Democrats are the same the only difference is the name.

Had Enough?

Vote Green 2007!

Green Party! Peace Party!

 
at 9:10 PM, June 07, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Another uniformed group. Name one member of these talking heads that ever went to a public hearing on the topic, researched successfull justice programs in other cities, read the extensive reports and studies commissioned by the republican commission. Face it, it takes money to fix this problem that was ignored for 15 years. If you don't want to pay taxes, move to the south pole and fend for yourself.

Rethoric will not solve the problem:

Belt Tighening...
Eliminate the Waste...
Cut the Bureaucracy...
Prioritze services...
Make tough decisions...
Managed competition...

All soundbites used to dodge the responsibility to develop a specific solution to a difficult problem. Where is the alternative plan from the "experts?" We elect politicans to address difficult problems. The commisioners have done thier best. If you don't like the solution, vote them out of office, propose a workable alternative, or buy a heavy parka and head south.

 
at 10:00 PM, June 07, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Green's being against this almost makes me want to support Todd's horrible idea to ignore the voters will and bend to Si Leis's temper tantrum. Never voted for Leis, never will. Always voted for Todd, never again...

 
at 10:42 PM, June 07, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

All five of them - was it unanimous?

 
at 11:41 PM, June 07, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous #1, the 2000 elections have been decided. Get over it. Now it's 2007 and the corporate whores have implemented a regressive tax to steal $750 million of our money to build a $200 million jail. Right after we the voters crushed a plan to raise taxes by "only" $300 million to build that same jail.

We must hold our elitist politicians accountable! Start now by putting this White Democratic Tax Hike on the ballot and repeal it!

 
at 12:32 PM, June 08, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

"We elect politicans to address difficult problems. The commisioners have done thier best."

We elect politicians to serve us and to represent what we want. What the commisioners have done is not good enough and if it were they wouldn't be scared to let the people decide.

"If you don't like the solution, vote them out of office, propose a workable alternative, or buy a heavy parka and head south."

We will vote them out. We will get this regressive jail tax put on the ballot and defeat it. We have suggested workable alternatives that are being ignored.

Get a night court so most people in jail aren't just waiting for a court date. Stop locking up homeless people and non-violent drug offenders. Stop Pepper and Thomas' racist marijuana ordinance that is "a major cause of overcrowding."

Yossarian shows his contempt for democracy, his 4th grade level of immaturity and his ignorance on the issues. The Green party is with the NAACP and growing fast because Democrats have abandoned African Americans, organised labor and the peace and environmental justice movement.

Yes anon, there were several green party members at these BS public hearings that had very low turn out and we made many suggestions and were told we were right and given lip service. Other members wrote letters etc.

We won't move, we're going to stand, fight and take back our community from the Republicrats.

 
at 1:31 PM, June 08, 2007 Blogger usefullidiot said...

Tb,

I have sufferd your myoptic veiws before, but switching over to the side of the county Uberfuriors, just because the greeny-weenies have had an uncommen stroke of genius, is the zenith of nit-wittery.

 
at 4:47 PM, June 08, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Uselessidiot,

I said almost. Learn how to read, you twit.

 
at 6:19 PM, June 08, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

greeny-weenies? Are you in the 1st grade or just a useless idiot?

 
at 12:51 AM, June 09, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

The mere fact that the Greens are against it makes me want to support the jail tax.

But seriously, folks, what is the answer to our jail woes? I hate taxes as much as anyone. But I also hate with a purple passion the fact that perps and criminals are being passed through the justice system and out the front door onto the street with hardly a howdy-do, because we do not have room in our jail. What's the answer? Si Leis and two of the Hamco Commissioners think it's the jail tax and a new jail. Are they wrong? Is there a better way to address the problem? If so, what is it?

 
at 11:13 AM, June 09, 2007 Blogger usefullidiot said...

"greeny-weenies? Are you in the 1st grade or just a useless idiot?"

If I were in the first grade again I would demand to be home-schooled.

Yes, I am an Idiot. I am an Idiot for going door to door campaining and contributing to a President and elected officials that give lip-service on real issues such as REAL tax reform and try to pass there pork-filled miserable legislation in the dark of night.
Yeh, i'm an Idiot and a fool

 
at 4:50 PM, June 10, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey look, it's Mean Jean Schmidt's stooge TNP here to support another Sales Tax hike! It wasn't enough that Mean Jean raised the Sales Tax for our entire state to support her wild spending sprees, now her PR man wants Hamilton County to have the highest Sales Tax in the area, so we can raise $750 million to pay for a $200 million jail. Higher taxes and Jean Schmidt go together like peanut butter and jelly.

 
at 11:41 PM, June 10, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jeff, you bloody fool. Your hatred of Congresswoman Jean Schmidt is only surpassed by your dunderheaded persistence in trying to convince anyone other than your COAST buddies and the Democrats who applaud your braindead BS that she is something she's not, a fiscal liberal. You won't quit attacking her. I won't stop defending her. So it goes.

 
at 11:49 AM, June 11, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think that's TNP's way of saying that he and Mean Jean Schmidt are proud supporters of unvoted tax increases. Even France just elected a tax-cutter, when will Ohio's 2nd CD get with the times and do the same?

 
at 12:25 PM, June 13, 2007 Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why do we the people of hamilton county always have to foot the bill for everything. I mean I only see two thirds of my paycheck as it is already and even less after property taxes and what not. Easy solution, apporve gambling boats on the ohio river. Lawrenceburg has soo much money now they don't know what to do with it. Imagine what cincinnati could do with the influx of cash?

 
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