Pay to Play at the State Level…part 1

pay to play

Pay to Play at the State Level

Part 1 of ?

Written by Brian Massie, Concord Township

householder

Larry Householder

Big, big news broke today.  In fact, so big that we have decided to write multiple articles on this blockbuster.  After a two year F.B.I. undercover investigation, the Ohio House of Representative Speaker Mr. Larry Householder (Republican) has been arrested in a $60 million bribery case.

Also arrested was Neil Clark, founder of a lobbyist group called Grant Street Consultants, former Ohio Republican Party chair and consultant Matthew Borges, Juan Cespedes, co-founder of The Oxley Group in Columbus, and Jeffrey Longstreth, adviser to Householder.

LFC believes in the principal that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and everyone is entitled to their due process rights.  That being said, let us move on to the details in this sordid affair.

So what is at the base of the problem?  It is House Bill 6.  Do you remember that one?   it was a bill that bailed out the nuclear power plants in Ohio.  It was named the Ohio Clean Air Program – what’s not to like about that title?

Here are the basics on how the program was supposed to work.  Individuals and businesses were to be charged a monthly fee that was to be “banked” and given only to the energy company that could produce clean energy.  The eligible companies were natural gas, coal fired plants, and nuclear plants.   The natural gas companies were producing and distributing electricity at a much cheaper rate than the nuclear plants, and were “eating the lunch” of the nuclear plants. Therefore, the nuclear plants need more cash to stay in business.

Not surprisingly, the legislation was written so that only the nuclear plants would qualify for the subsidies since they produce “‘clean energy”.  The energy may have been clean, but the money may have been dirty.

So there you have it: (1) Nuclear plants and their wealthy investors needed cash to stay in business, (2) Legislators write the bill to solely benefit them, (3) Nuclear plants then “pay to play” a 501 (c) (4) Non-Profit called Generation Now, (4) Generation Now distributes money to Republican organizations.  And Bob’s your uncle, no one is the wiser, until someone “blew the whistle” to the F.B.I.

*****

Here is a recap of what Tom Z. of We the People Convention has to say about this matter:

BREAKING NEWS: Ohio House Speaker LarryHouseholder and Former Ohio Republican Chairman Matt Borges arrested today along with three others in $60 million bribery case. News conference at 2:30 Today.
This is the heart of the corrupt Pay-to-Play Republican Mafia in Ohio. Other House Members could be implicated along with other Republican Party Officials past and present. Unclear if DeWine or Kasich are involved. This is a great day for Liberty for those of us in the Ohio TEA Party who have fought these corrupt people for 11 years!
Can’t wait to hear from current ORP Chairman Jane Timken as she tries to explain this away . . . this is the second Republican House Speaker in a row to have an FBI Investigation . . . Speaker Rosenberger was investigated by the FBI in 2018 and had to
step down . . .
*****
LFC published several articles about House Bill 6 during the whole political process leading up to the vote in the State House and Senate.  Here are the articles for your review, with some pertinent excerpts from the articles.

Article 1:

https://lobbyistsforcitizens.com/2019/04/25/house-bill-6-save-perry-plant/

LFC Comments: This whole energy industry is quite confusing for most Americans.  It appears to us that First Energy is divided into multiple companies with some making very handsome profits, and their executives smiling all the way to the bank; while the energy generation part of the business has filed bankruptcy and continually needs bailouts from their customers. “

The First Energy executives and the shareholders have found a gold mine……unfortunately, they get the gold and the consumers get the shaft!”

Article 2:

https://lobbyistsforcitizens.com/2019/04/30/house-bill-6-clean-air-program-or-a-lot-of-hot-air-cronyism/

“First Energy Solutions and its sister entities have spent over $3 million dollars influencing legislators and legislation in the Ohio State House to create a bill that would enrich their organization with $150 million taxpayer dollars.

It’s no wonder that 83% of Americans now believe that well connected companies and individuals play by a different set of rules when presented with rampant corporate cronyism like this!”

Article 3:

https://lobbyistsforcitizens.com/2019/05/21/house-bill-6-confusing-follow-the-money/

“In summary, this bill does not protect consumers, but rather it protects select generators and utilities,” said Terri Sexton, environmental and energy manager for Navistar in Springfield who testified on behalf of the Ohio Manufacturers Association. “It is anti-competitive, anti-consumer, and not good for our state.”

“The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, which opposes the bill, estimates that Ohio’s investor owned utilities have collected more than $15 billion from customers in extra riders since 1999. HB6 would create a new rider that would cost $3 billion over the next decade.”

“AARP Ohio, headed by former lawmaker Barbara Sykes, called on its members to tell their lawmakers to vote against it.

“Ohio House Bill 6 would saddle all Ohioans with a new, unfair and unnecessary annual $300 million nuclear bailout tax,” the group said.

To get the bill to pass, Householder may need votes from the House Minority caucus, which is led by Akron Democrat Sykes, daughter of AARP Ohio’s Barbara Sykes.”

Article 4:

https://lobbyistsforcitizens.com/2019/06/23/house-bill-6-lake-county-resident-speaks-out/

(LFC Comment:  It is a little difficult to accept that the generation side of the business is bankrupt, but the distribution side is very profitable, and pays 7 figure incomes to their executives.  The taxpayers get to subsidize the generation side of the business, while the elites reap the benefits of the distribution side.

We wonder about the wisdom of combining both the generation and distribution side of the business because the current model is not fair to taxpayers.)

Article 5:

https://lobbyistsforcitizens.com/2019/06/29/house-bill-6-now-we-are-getting-nowhere/

“{LFC Comment:  Call us cynics..but with the amount of money being spent on advertising, someone is “feathering their own nest” with this issue.  The deregulation of the industry gave us a “generation company” and a “distribution company”.  The “distribution company is “coining money” and providing 7 figure incomes to their executives and profits to their shareholders.  The “generation company” is losing money and needs to be supported by the taxpayers.  Is that the free market at work, or is it a scam being played on the taxpayers?)”

Article 6:

https://lobbyistsforcitizens.com/2019/09/12/house-bill-6-to-repeal-or-not-to-repeal/

This has been a complicated issue for LFC to really understand, but here is something that we do understand.

(1) The ‘generation’ side of the business loses money and requires taxpayers to subsidize it in order to stay afloat.  Then they turn around and pay property taxes to the various political sub-divisions, and the taxpayers are required to “genuflect” at the altar of big business.  Lake County communities have become dependent on the property taxes received from the Perry Plant.  They have spent money like there was no tomorrow, and now are faced with the dilemma of what to do if the Perry Plant closes.

(2) The ‘distribution’ side of the business makes a ton of money, and pay their executives 7 figure incomes with substantial benefits added on top. (That is not a typo – 7 figures, as in $1,000,000+ per year)

pulling back the curtain

It seems to us that the initial deception played on the taxpayers occurred when the federal government separated the nuclear power business into two entities.  They let the taxpayers foot the bill for the government regulations on the ‘generation’ side of the business, and the savvy, “well-heeled” executives get to scoop the cream off the top of the profitable distribution side of the business.

*****

Seems to us that our “crystal ball” was very accurate on this issue.

What lessons are learned from this matter?  We need to elect public officials that are righteous people,   We are getting sick and tired of electing the same people  on both sides of the aisle to governmental positions. only to have them “feather their own nest”. The Republicans will need to clean out the deep state baggage at all levels.  It appears that we are in a whirlpool of corruption at all levels, and we need public officials that have not lost their moral compass.

sinking ship

 

The Ohio Republican ship of state is in deep trouble….

Sending an S.O.S. to the people may go unheeded this time.  You may have worn out your welcome.  When the last two Speakers of the House have been investigated by the F.B.I., we think it is time to clean house and rid yourself of the morally bankrupt politicians.  You are known by the company you keep!

Look for parts 2 and 3 of this article.  We will be “pulling back the curtain” and exposing those who has been involved locally and looking deeper into the dark, dirty money.  No one can hide.

*****



Categories: Corruption, Uncategorized

Tags: ,

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  15. Anons have been busy in Ohio to be sure. Let’s see how far down this one goes. I’ll bet there are some local boys that are in need of some new underwear this morning. I wonder who lawyered up yesterday? This is going to be epic people, and it’s been a long time coming.

    Warning to local cabal members, the FBI worked with CITIZENS secretly on this one. Wonder what else they’ve been working on? The FBI made it clear that the citizens DO have a place to go when they have investigated corruption at a local level, brought it to the attention of local government, brought it to the attention of state government, and nothing was done. Not only that, the citizens were made fun of and their character impugned. Records requests were slow walked. They have been very, very bad boys. And they will pay.

    Lobbyists for Citizens should send all the work you did on the Better Flip to the local FBI in Painesville. They have been notified by their southern counterpart that the people need help fighting the corruption in Ohio. They have a lot more tools they can use to obtain information that you could not. Something really does smell rotten there…how could the port authority go over budget by 100 percent? It’s not $60M but I’m betting some people made some money along the way somewhere. What have you got to lose?

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