February 28 2024

The Becker Report – February 2024

Beckerisms

GOP Presidential Primary Election

Iowa Caucus

Trump: 51.0% earned 20 delegates.
DeSantis: 21.2% earned 9 delegates. (Dropped out of race and endorsed Trump.)
Haley: 19.1% earned 8 delegates.
Ramaswamy: 7.7% earned 3 delegates. (Dropped out of race and endorsed Trump.)

New Hampshire Primary

Trump: 54.3% earned 13 delegates.
Haley: 43.2% earned 9 delegates.

Nevada Primary

“None of These Candidates:” 63.4% earned zero delegates
Haley: 30.4% earned zero delegates
Note: Trump was not on the ballot.

Nevada Caucus

Trump: 99.1% earned 26 delegates
Note: Haley was not on the ballot.

U.S. Virgin Islands’ Caucus

Trump: 74.0% earned 4 delegates
Haley: 26.0% earned zero delegates

South Carolina Primary

Trump: 59.8% earned 47 delegates
Haley: 39.5% earned 3 delegates

Michigan Primary

Trump: 68.2% earned 12 delegates
Haley: 26.6% earned 4 delegates

Total Delegate Count (so far)

Trump: 122
Haley: 24
DeSantis: 9
Ramaswamy: 3

WHO REALLY WON THE 2020 ELECTION?

Measuring the Effect of Mail-in Ballot Fraud in the Trump-Biden Race for the White House

The Heartland Institute study

‘Upholding the Sanctity of Unborn Life’: Alabama Supreme Court Upholds Unborn Embryos’ Rights

Science and human rights prevail over politics

Meet Baby Olivia (3 minutes)

Just for the record here, I support IVF. I do not support killing unwanted or “defective” human beings. The links below are additional commentary.
John Becker

washingtonstand.com/news/upholding-the-sanctity-of-unborn-life-alabama-supreme-court-upholds-unborn-embryos-rights
lifesitenews.com/news/alabama-ivf-halt-operations-ruling
Donald Trump and Kari Lake are dead wrong to defend IVF: here’s why

How Can The Church Find Trustworthy Media Sources?

According to Gary Bauer’s End of Day Report – January 27, 2024

What follows will give you that insight which will help you discern the best media choices.
To begin, you’ve noticed the shift away from straight factual reporting into entertainment. Anchors look good, personality matters, and fun features may be included. With the immense number of ways a consumer can access news, each outlet tries to make it interesting in order to grab you and keep you.
That translates to dollars for them and dollars to pay for staff. More cameramen, reporters, researchers, techs means more stories which in turn increases the chance for more audience, and the cycle goes on.
Edgy, shocking, visual, human stories thrill us; they elicit an emotional reaction which keeps us there. Now you can understand how the news might be skewed toward thrilling you and maybe some accuracy is sacrificed.
News outlets are imperfect; not just imperfect in their accuracy, but in their preparation (hurried, low staff), and imperfect in their autonomy (often using other outlets’ stories and old information on file). Also which stories are run may be decided by big breaking news that subsumes an otherwise important story.
Yikes – how does any normal reporting ever happen, with all that going on!?
Add in ambitious reporters, who wittingly or unwittingly, light up a story that doesn’t warrant the push. And maybe mix in a whole blob of personal pov’s and you see the filters any facts go through until the end result, which may not be exactly a factual, balanced report. Increasingly, those pov’s reflect one political aisle more than the other.
Here are some ways they do it…
Watch how a reporter asks a question. Common strategies to twist answers are to offer two bad choices: “Are your views really that narrow? Or are you simply uninformed?”
And watch for shock/disbelief/disapproval on a reporter’s face as they lead the viewer’s reaction. These are shaping strategies as the reporter seeks to shape your opinion either for or against the person being interviewed.
Other ways to shape a story are to omit certain details, to amplify others, to select glowing words to attach to certain ideas or the opposite.
And then there are images. Pictures can definitely shape our opinion. Just look up Michael Dukakis and you’ll see how his presidential campaign was ruined. One visual did it.
Images are ultra powerful and the media knows it very well. They select a person to interview, whose physical looks fit a narrative they like, for good or ill. (It’s so important for men and women in the church to be mindful of messages sent by dress and grooming, especially with any kind of public profile.)
But when you’re consuming news now be aware of the story within a story shaping your opinion by the visuals presented.
Another shaping strategy: reporters know how to use their voices to express confidence and assurance, certainty and authority. A savvy media consumer looks past that, past all of this and discerns truthful content.
And where do we find truthful content? Well, I went to the top, to our country’s foremost knowledgeable authority on the news outlets out there and how good a job they do in their reporting.

Disclosure: I am on the board of the Media Research Center which is America’s premier media watchdog. I asked my dear friend and colleague Brent Bozell, founder and President of the MRC, to point us to the best, trusted sources. Here’s his counsel:
Let’s preface this exercise by granting that “news” in the traditional meaning of the word is dead. Market demands and financial realities have moved us into the infotainment space, a combination of news, entertainment, information and commentary all rolled into one. (Example: I can’t think of a single news program on television that doesn’t incorporate all four elements.) So, what follows is not news in its pure sense but the closest we can come to that. I am not prioritizing, just listing.
A. Newspapers
Newspapers are but a whisper of what they once were. The public has gone to video and the cost of paper has become exorbitant. Still, there are entities out there that have outsized influence. Most, if not all, have online editions that include more information.

The Washington Times. It’s quite slimmed down, but I read it daily and can tell you it’s excellent. It reports stories correctly, but also breaks stories regularly. Sadly, it doesn’t get the exposure it deserves. But for me it’s the best paper in America. In fact, it’s the only news outlet I can think of that bucks the “infotainment” trend.
The New York Post. It’s gone into the real news business, especially on the investigative side, with some top shelf reporters. It was the Post, for example, that broke the Hunter Biden story.
The Epoch Times. This paper came into being about a decade ago. Its thing is not so much investigative journalism as it is solid news reporting. People like to suggest it’s a far-right paper, and it may focus on news of interest only to a small market of conservatives, and yet I cannot recall anything they’ve done that’s been determined to be wrong.
B. Television
Sadly, there’s very little news on television anymore, unless it’s a major breaking story (January 6, October 7, the start of the Ukraine war, etc.). It’s gone into the commentary mode, because that’s what the market wants. With that said…
Fox News. The most popular shows are “The Five” and the “Jessie Watters Show.” With all due respect to them, they contain gossip, but that’s what the market wants. If you want news, Brett Baier’s newscast (6 PM East Coast Time) is the place to go. It’s not all “Breaking News,” but when there is real breaking news, Fox is the place to go.
But here’s something fun. If you want to get a bead on what will be the news story of the day, watch “Fox and Friends” in the morning. The overall best show is Levin’s weekend show. More on that in a minute.
Newsmax. It made a strong run after the 2020 election. Its ratings shot up, but have now come back down to a rather distant second place behind Fox News. Still, it is quite popular with some conservatives who see it as more populist than Fox. There’s not as much reporting as there once was, and still lots of re-runs of interesting documentaries because they don’t have the resources to populate their programming 24/7. Still, they’re worth watching.
OAN. It was an excellent network, but they have since waned.
The BBC. Yes, you read that correctly. They are liberal, especially in their coverage of things in the United States, and that seems to be their primary focus. But their strength is coverage of international news. When you consider how important the international scene is today, it’s imperative to know about it. Where international news is concerned, the BBC is quite good and I go there.
C. Radio
One reason Rush Limbaugh was king: while his commentary was excellent, it was based on a correct interpretation of real news. With that in mind:
Sean Hannity. He is number one in audience, and it’s not just because he has great guests but also because he covers news every single day. Now, reality check: It’s only one or two or max, three stories repeated every few minutes. But that’s talk radio: everyone does it now.
Mark Levin. Of the popular conservative talk shows, Levin is the most serious and most intellectual. He will cover the important news of the day if a political issue, and especially if a political issue in the legal space, he’ll do a deep dive into the constitutional issues surrounding it.
Listeners come to understand the “why” of a story’s importance far better listening to Mark than to anyone else. Something else. As opposed to everyone else, both in television and on radio, Mark encourages his guests to take all the time they’d like formulating their responses – a blast of fresh air and why I enjoy appearing on his program more than anyone else’s.
D. Online
The newspapers outlined above have online appendages, but there are numerous online news outlets that don’t have paper equivalents.
Daily Wire. These people are interesting because a) they have plentiful resources, a product of an excellent business plan; b) it has attracted great talent in Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh and the like; and c) they have great news, great information, great commentary, and – and this is becoming their signature – great comedy. They are still relatively new, and filled with relatively young people, so they have their growing pains.
Daily Caller. This is Tucker Carlson’s outfit. It seemingly was more prominent a few years ago, breaking more stories with more investigative journalism, and I can’t explain why it’s fallen back. Its news product is good, and even if reduced, its investigative operation, mainly through the Daily Caller Foundation, is excellent.
Breitbart. Breitbart continues to thrive with a full-throated news network. One could criticize it by saying its news focuses too much on politics, with too much commentary in its stories that is in itself projected as news; and with too much entertainment fluff. Probably all true. Still. There’s excellent stuff here and the reader can see it.
Daily Signal. This is the Heritage Foundation’s news site. Good stuff here, but limited. I sense more resources are going to go into it, so it’ll grow nicely and professionally – because it’s the Heritage Foundation.
E. Podcasts
It seems everyone has his own podcast (this writer excepted) these days, but there are a few that will give the listener a good understanding of the news. I profess not to be learned enough to offer an opinion, but there has to be a reason why Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk are far and away the most popular. Podcasts are the longest of long form journalism so the listener does get an in depth understanding of news stories.

Final thoughts:

I probably overlooked good outlets, and apologize. Conversely, there are outlets listed above that may not have made the list two years ago.
This is a fluid list. A few years ago, you’d have found the Drudge Report on anyone’s list because of its seemingly dispassionate news aggregation effort, offering dozens of headlines from dozens of different news outlets on a daily basis. Then it went anti-Trump. Today, it’s anti-Trump on steroids, and it has lost its cache.
Two years from now it is guaranteed that this list will be different, with some of these gone, and some new ones coming out of nowhere. The communications industry is evolving at a lightning-fast pace (two years ago no one had ever heard of TikTok, yet today it dominates social media worldwide) and there is no telling what outlets, and what new technologies will emerge.
I predict within five years there will be a new conservative news network. There is a huge market opportunity here.
Keep an eye on “News Nation,” a new network out there. Its owners insist they want to be balanced. We should not immediately dismiss them because they’re new. Time will tell.
With one exception, if anyone tells you social media is where one finds news, flog him. Social media is a necessary evil, especially if you want to reach the young, but at best it provides only information. The exception? X. All news is projected through X today, which is to say that anyone who has a news story promotes it on X with a tweet (or whatever it’s called today). If you’re on social media, X will provide you news.
And, finally, A.I. This may change everything. In fact, it will change everything. There is no telling, none whatsoever, where we will be in the world of communications in ten years, even without AI. But when you throw this new technology into the mix, I will venture to say that nothing can be safely predicted two years from now. So, for now, I stand by what I write – barely.
-LBB

Covid

Large new study finds COVID jabs carry increased risks of heart, brain, blood diseases
British MP says midwives see ‘more dead babies than alive babies’ some days after COVID shot rollout
COVID Vaccines Linked To “SLIGHT” Risk Of Serious Medical Issues! (12 minutes)
CDC’s data verifies that masks are virtually useless.

Union Township Update

Austin Clements, Fire Chief

New fire chief appointed in Union Township: ‘We’re going to recruit harder than we ever have before’ (1m 45s)
Greater Cincinnati township appoints new fire chief

Mr. Wright became our new administrator on January 10, 2024. He hit the ground running and is “righting the ship,” so to speak.

Need a job?

Police and fire/EMS jobs are available. Send resume to Cory Wright CWright@union-township.oh.us

What can you find at the Union Township Civic Center?

US Post Office
US Congressman Brad Wenstrup’s office
Union Township Zoning office
Meeting rooms available for UT residents to reserve
Gymnasium available for UT residents to reserve
Amphitheater for concerts, plays, and available for UT residents to reserve
Farmers Market every Friday from 4 -7 PM during the summer and early fall
West Clermont School’s administrative office
Senior Services office
Friendly people who serve the public with a smile

Call 513-752-1741 or visit www.union-township.oh.us for more information

Union Township welcomes new and growing businesses

Some of the below may be pending trustee approval:

Outback Steakhouse is “firing up” a new restaurant near Meijer’s where the old Starbucks and a video store used to be. It will seat 187, have a drive through for pickup, and is expected to open in mid-March. The “stakes” could be high and profits are expected to “sizzle.”
Taco John’s “flushed” their plans to build a new restaurant near the Sam’s Club fuel pumps. Sewer access can be a “crappy” problem.
Grocery Outlet is constructing a new store in the old Bed, Bath, and Beyond location in the Eastgate Pavilion near Best Buy and expect completion in September. They are expecting to “produce” profits.
Panda Express is looking to raze the car wash next to the Union Township library and build a new location there. It’s an “appetizing” venture. The overpass construction is delaying their start date. The earliest will be spring with completion seven months later.
Mercy Health urgent care center is under construction in the Jungle Jim’s parking lot in front of LaRosa’s. They’ll soon be repairing “broken” bones, skin, and more.
i love noods: noodles, dim sum, and bubble tea will soon be open in the Jungle Jim’s shopping center. Who doesn’t love “noods”?
Children’s Hospital is under construction in the Ivy Pointe area near TQL. Our concerns have been “healed.”
Wawa will be taking over the old Mt. Carmel Kroger location. Rah-rah to Wawa for taking over a shuttered business. They expect demolition to begin in the Spring and completion early next year.
Alfaa will be building on an empty lot on the corner of Aicholtz Road and Eastgate Blvd. I’m wondering if they sell alfalfa sprouts?
A small strip mall is coming to the corner of SR 32 and Mt. Carmel Tobasco Road on Yates Lane. I expect them to be rolling in dough soon.
The old Valero on the corner of Ohio Pike and Bennett Road is under new ownership. They will be tearing down the old building and constructing a new convenience and wine store. The previous condition of the property was certainly something to whine about.
A Hilton Hotel has been perpetually under construction near the Hampton Inn and Meijer’s. They have made certain “accommodations” and residents can “sleep well” knowing that construction has recommenced.
Honda East will be “shifting gears” to “rev up” sales by expanding their operations in Cherry Grove. They might “tire,” “brake,” and “shock” you, but they are “on a roll.” Wouldn’t it be nice if they offered free samples?
PetSuites is “grooming” a new location on Old SR 74 next to Office Max. Construction is in progress.
TQL will be adding an additional 1,000 jobs at its sprawling UT campus. The new southern wing will look similar to their recently added northern wing. The project is “trucking” along. “Total Quality” will be a “Logistic” requirement.
Kroger has “crushing” plans to demolish Sears and build a new 123,722 square foot Kroger Marketplace store detached from the mall. The store will include a Starbucks, drive through pharmacy, expanded deli, expanded bakery, a Murray Cheese section, sushi, expanded adult beverage section, apparel, home goods, expanded grocery section, and a Kroger fuel center with 18 fuel pumps. The fuel will be on the recently shuttered Wendy’s side of the parking lot. The northeast side of the store will have a parking area for on-line pickup. The current Kroger store on Eastgate Boulevard will likely close in coordination with opening the new Kroger Marketplace store.

2024 Union Township Trustees Meeting Video

February 27, 2024 Business meeting (2h 17m) Executive session (1h 24m)
February 23, 2024 Special meeting (2 minutes) Executive session to interview Fire Chief candidates (4h 8m)
February 5, 2024 Special meeting (1 minute)
January 9, 2024 Business meeting (2h 16m)
January 2, 2024 Reorganization meeting (53 minutes)

Event Calendar

Disclaimer: All events, locations, and times are subject to change.

March 4
Union Township GOP meeting at the Civic Center at 7 PM.

March 7
Clermont Chamber Economic Forecast Breakfast at Crossroads Church at 7:30 AM.

March 11
AMT meeting at UT Civic Center at 6:45 PM.

March 12
Union Township Trustees meeting at the Civic Center at 6 PM.

March 19
Election Day from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

March 20
Clermont County GOP business meeting at HQ in Batavia at 7 PM.

March 21
Clermont County Township Assn and annual Health Department meeting at the Engineer’s office at 6:00 PM.

Video Central

Don’t Walk, RUN! THE “FACT CHECKERS” STRIKE AGAIN!! (16 minutes)
Don’t Walk, RUN! The “Losers and Suckers” Hoax: DEBUNKED! (15 minutes)
Don’t Walk, RUN! Joe Biden Claims He Talked to GHOSTS!! AGAIN!!! (11 minutes)
Bill Whittle: Dem Dementia Debacle Doubleheader, Part 1: SENILE (15 minutes)
Bill Whittle: Dem Dementia Debacle Doubleheader, Part2: LYING (19 minutes)
Bill Whittle: Fighting the Democrat’s Pro-Abortion Platform (16 minutes)
Don’t Walk, RUN! SPECIAL REPORT: Biden An “Elderly Man with a Poor Memory” (21 minutes)
The Christian Super Bowl Ad They SHOULD Have Made | He Saves Us (1 minute)
Don’t Walk, RUN! EVERYTHING IS STUPID!! (17 minutes)
COVID Vaccines Linked To “SLIGHT” Risk Of Serious Medical Issues! (12 minutes)
Don’t Walk, RUN! “The Supreme Court Blocked It… BUT THAT DIDN’T STOP ME!” (14 minutes)
A Never Before Seen Look At Human Life In The Womb | Baby Olivia (3 minutes)

BeckerGOP YouTube Channel

Presentations and discussions at the Union Township Trustee meetings

Concealed Carry Part 1 – January 11, 2022 (9 minutes)
Concealed Carry Part 2 – February 8, 2022 (12 minutes)
Union Township Debt Presentation – March 8, 2022 (10 minutes) Slides
Union Township Property Tax Distributions – April 12, 2022 (7 minutes) Slides
Union Township 2021 Financials – May 10, 2022 (14 minutes) Slides
Union Township 2021 Expenses Deep Dive – June 14, 2022 (14 minutes) Slides
Union Township First Half 2022 Financials – July 12, 2022 (13 minutes) Slides
Bond Anticipation Note (BAN) – July 12, 2022 (10 minutes)
UT Concert Series – August 9, 2022 (5 minutes)
Natural Gas Aggregation Discussion – September 13, 2022 (9 minutes)
Cost of 2022 Concert Series and Fireworks – September 13, 2022 (14 minutes)
Medical Marijuana Dispensary Board of Trustees Discussion (38 minutes)
Medical Marijuana Dispensary Public and Board of Trustees Discussion (100 minutes)
Medical Marijuana Six Month Moratorium (12 minutes)
Board Discussion: Meeting Rules (36 minutes)

The Becker Report Video Archives

Becker – Vetted, Tested, and Proven!

“…John Becker, an ‘archconservative’ former state lawmaker from the Cincinnati area…” as described by Cleveland.com (February 2021).
“[State Rep. John Becker,] one of Ohio’s most conservative lawmakers…” proclaimed Cleveland.com (October 2020).
“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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Introduction (38 seconds)	Second Amendment (36 seconds)
Taxes (49 seconds)	Energy (55 seconds)
Pro-Life (42 seconds)	Creation Science and Evolution (42 sec.)
State Government Spending (45 sec.)	State Government (37 seconds)

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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. Much of it is simply my opinion. I am fully and solely responsible for my opinion. 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?