The Becker Report – November 2019

Beckerisms

Election Day Review – Clermont County

Amelia and Newtonsville Cease to Exist!

Wow! The voters were in a mood.
Real or perceived, the issues included (but were not limited to) corruption, mismanagement, malfeasance, nonfeasance, taxation, and simply being tone-deaf to the voices of the people.
I refrained from making any public comments during those campaigns because it wasn’t a state issue and I do not live in either of those communities.
The advantages of dissolving those villages will include greater efficiency of providing public services at lower cost. The residents of those villages are winners because their earnings tax will be eliminated and their property taxes could go down. Travelers through those villages are winners because the (needed?) revenue generating speed traps have gone away. All residents of Clermont County win because of the distribution of the local government fund can now be done more efficiently. The people of Ohio win because the local government fund and the gasoline tax distribution can now be done more efficiently.
Although there are valid arguments for retaining the villages, the people have made their decision.

Matt Beamer vs. Michael Logue for Union Township Trustee

This was an epic upset that had my head spinning for a few days until a friend explained to me what happened:
In short, it was all about The Miller Place. When the Union Township Trustees unanimously voted to quadruple the housing in the Rumpke Road subdivision, the dye had been cast against Matt Beamer. Unfortunately for him, he was the first of the three Trustees up for re-election.
The residents of the Rumpke Road subdivision (where I live) teamed up with the Cincinnati Nature Center to collect signatures township wide in an attempt to reverse the decision. That effort is still in court, but the process entailed a lot of door-to-door against the Trustees.
Unrelated to the petition drive, federal judge Susan Dlott, denied the township’s request to alter a consent decree that she had created many years ago, hence killing the project. (It was Susan Dlott who originally created this mess when she got involved in a local zoning dispute.)
Just for the record here, Matt Beamer is a long-time friend of mine and has served Union Township well. His service to the community will be missed.

Will President Trump get Impeached?

I mostly focus on state and local issues, but this topic deserves a comment:
Based on the news blurbs I’ve been seeing (rather than a careful analytical assessment), it seems like the witnesses have been told that an unknown source might have overheard a telephone conversation that might have had something to do with the Ukraine and/or the corrupt Bidens. And the best “proof” of all of this is the star witness’s “presumption.” Hummm…
Well, I’m just not seeing Richard Nixon style breaking into the DNC HQ or Bill Clinton style felonious lying under oath. BTW, where were Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and the others during the Clinton years? Their feigned passion for the rule of law rings hollow after standing by Bill Clinton.
Just for the record here, I am a Trump Republican and continue to stand by and support our president.

Climate change alarmists are pushing for a change in vocabulary to scare people into taking global warming more seriously, starting with terms like “global meltdown” and “climate collapse.” Click here for the story.

Well, I don’t have a background in science and can’t speak to the realities, if any, of so-called climate change, but I can make a few observations:
I’ve retained vivid memories of the horrifying winters of the late 1970s.

• The Ohio River was frozen at Cincinnati.
• Twenty-five below zero temperatures were competing with the dark side of the moon. (Okay, technically there is no such thing, but like earth, one side is dark at any given time.)
• Snow drifts were measured in yards.
• The temperature stayed below zero for nearly three straight days.
• It was nearly a full month before the temperature got above freezing during any 24-hour period.
• More information here.

A book written just a few years earlier The Cooling, became a “hot” seller. It was all about the scientific evidence for the coming ice age. I believed it. Fool me once shame on you… The climate alarmists have been around for centuries. Are the oceans warming? Perhaps, but in what way are the underwater volcanoes a product of mankind? Also, there have been multiple ice ages of varying degrees and durations long before the industrial era. So, is climate change occuring? Of course it is. It has been since the beginning of time. (Tropical trees and mammals grew/lived in Antarctica.) Is there anything that mankind is doing to accelerate it or can do to slow it? Well, the first question is accelerate or slow what? Is the earth cooling or warming? Regardless, I think not.

Becker Donates Controversial Pay Raise to Community Organizations

For more information, see the January 2019 edition of The Becker Report.

January 2019 – The Cincinnati Nature Center received my personal check for $154.69.
February 2019 – Ohio Concerns of Police Survivors (Ohio C.O.P.S.) got my on-line donation for $154.69.
March 2019 – I delivered a personal check for $313.73 to the Goshen Township Bicentennial Committee. The increase in the amount of my donation is because of my promotion to be chairman of the Federalism Committee. It reflects the net portion of the controversial pay increase that was included in my chairmanship increment.
April 2019 – My wife and I presented our $313.73 donation to Days of Wonder. Based in Batavia, they are a school for homeschool kids.
May 2019 – The Promont House Museum in the City of Milford was the recipient of my personal donation of $313.73. Promont is a Victorian mansion circa 1865 and the former home of John M. Pattison, Ohio’s 43rd Governor. It is currently owned and operated as a museum by the Greater Milford Area Historical Society.
June 2019 – The Adams County Humane Society and the Adams County Fair spilt my June donation and received $156.87 each. The animal shelter will use the funds for animal care supplies. The Fair will use the money to purchase new flags.
July 2019 – People Working Cooperatively (PWC) was the recipient of my $313.73 for their project house in Owensville. The money will be used for an accessible bathroom renovation.
August 2019 – The Scioto County Right to Life received my personal check for $313.73. They will use the money to fund billboards along US 23.
September 2019 – I presented my personal check for $313.73 to Clermont Senior Services at their annual fundraising banquet. They’ll be using the funds for elder care.
October 2019 – My personal check for $313.73 went to New Life Fellowship Church on Shepard Road in Union Township, Clermont County for their annual Children’s Christmas Gift giveaway. They will be using the funds to purchase additional gifts for needy area children.
November 2019 – A Caring Place in Clermont County is a no cost pregnancy resource ministry for women in need. They received my personal check for $313.73 to help care for people and save lives.

Becker Bills in the Ohio House of Representatives

HR 55 – Build the Wall. This resolution urging congress to fund a physical barrier across the southern border has been assigned to the Transportation Committee.
HB 39 – Replica Vehicles. John Patterson asked me to do this bipartisan bill with him. It creates a special category for these unique vehicles. It is in the Transportation Committee.
HB 153 – Working Officials Requirements Key (WORK) Act. This bill requires county elected officials to show up at their office at least five times every 30 days. It is in the State and Local Government Committee and has had two hearings.
HB 176 – Convention and Visitors’ Bureaus. This is a bill I’m doing with Tom Brinkman. It requires open records.
HB 182 – Abortion Insurance Coverage. The bill stops insurance companies from paying for abortions. It does not apply to self-insured private companies nor does it prevent any company from directly contracting with an abortionist. It has been assigned to the Insurance Committee and has had its first hearing.
HB 219 – Sunday Alcohol, Liquor, and Especially Spirits Act (SALES). I’m doing this bill with Representative Jim Hoops. In short, HB 219 removes the Sunday option. All businesses currently allowed to sell alcohol during the week will also be allowed Sunday sales. Voters retain the option to vote their precinct dry. It has been assigned to the Commerce & Labor Committee and has had multiple hearings.
HB 389 – Allows nonprofit organizations to give away alcohol for fundraising purposes. John Rogers reached out to me to do this bipartisan bill. It simply legalizes the common practice of churches raffling off booze at fundraisers.

Video Central

The Borderline Bar And Grill: A Tale of Men and Masculinity (4 minutes)
Values Matter. Race Doesn’t. (6 minutes)
How Many Genders Are There? (4 minutes)
Who Should Win the Nobel Peace Prize? (5 minutes)
Imagine if America Disarmed (1 minute)
How Big Government Hurts Women (5 minutes)
Medicare-For-All Will Destroy Health Care (2 minutes)
America Was Founded on Freedom Not Slavery (2 minutes)
The value of NFL players, CEOs, and fast food workers – Dave Rant (10 minutes)
The Dark Art of Framing (5 minutes)
Does Bill Gates Pay His Fair Share? (5 minutes)

Event Calendar

December 2
Union Township GOP meeting at RJ Cinema at 7 PM.

December 5
Trump 2020 Campaign Volunteer meeting at 7 PM at GOP HQ in Batavia.

December 9
Clermont County Township Association Christmas Party at Campbell’s Barn.

December 12
Clermont County GOP Endorsement meeting at the Eastgate Holiday Inn at 7 PM.

December 17
Clermont Chamber 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Eastgate Holiday Inn beginning at 6 PM.

December 25
Merry Christmas!

Becker for Clermont County Commissioner – Vetted, Tested, and Proven!

“Clermont County State Rep. John Becker, one of the most conservative members of the Ohio House…” according to Cleveland.com (August 2019).
Becker wins “Sponsor of Liberty” award by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Ohio (October 2018).
“Becker has a legitimate claim as the state’s most conservative legislator,” according to The [Cleveland] Plain Dealer (September 2017).
“Rep. John Becker, suburban Cincinnati Republican… [holds] the unofficial title as the General Assembly’s most conservative lawmaker,” proclaimed the Columbus Dispatch (September 2015).
Becker wins prestigious William Wilberforce Leadership Award (April 2015). “GOP Ohio House freshman Becker is no shrinking violet,” headlined the Columbus Dispatch (December 2014).
“Becker…is arguably the most conservative member of the Ohio House,” said The Cincinnati Enquirer (January 2014).
Ranked as a top tier “most archconservative” by the Columbus Dispatch (September 2013).

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Disclaimer
Nothing in this newsletter constitutes legal advice. I am not an attorney and do not play one on TV. This newsletter is not sanctioned by the GOP, ORP, or any organization, or affiliation. I am fully and solely responsible for its content. Although I strive for accuracy, this is not “The Gospel according to John.” Additionally, I don’t necessarily try to be “fair and balanced.” After all, I didn’t get into politics to be a news reporter. My agenda is to influence public policy consistent with Southern Ohio conservative values. For more information on my motivations or how to get involved, see: What is a Central Committee?