Ohio governor downplays snooper’s blatant misuse of office
Ohio Democrat Gov. Ted Strickland first told us there was noooooooo reason whatsoever to believe that the raids on Joe The Plumber’s records were at all political.
He maintained that position even after it was revealed that snooper Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the state Department of Job and Family Services, was a max contributor to Barack Obama’s campaign.
He maintained that position even after a state whistleblower came forward, contradicted her supervisors, and said she was ordered to rummage through Joe The Plumber’s records.
And he maintains that position even after newspaper public records requests show that Jones-Kelley was
possibly using a state computer and e-mail account for political fundraising.
Gov. Strickland commented this afternoon that this was merely an isolated incident. Nothing to see here, move along:
“I don’t want to minimize what may have happened here,” Strickland told reporters today. “But worst-case scenario, there is no evidence of any systematic, wide-spread abuse of government resources.”
Strickland placed Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the state Department of Job and Family Services, on paid leave Friday after e-mails requested by The Dispatch showed that she possibly used a state computer and e-mail account for political fundraising. Strickland has asked Inspector General Thomas P. Charles to investigate.
Other members of Strickland’s administration did work for the Obama campaign, but when asked whether he’s checking into any other possible misuse of state resources, the governor replied, “I have no reason to believe that that would be necessary or called for.”
He’s got “no reason to believe” and every reason to cover up.
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I expected nothing less. We live in an “anything goes” world where there is no accountability or responsibililty.
I wish I could blame it all on liberalism, but the republicans are as just as bad.
Unless you are not a democrat.
Sure they weren’t political.
And Obama is a Centrist too, right?
uh huh…
Here is what I was referencing when I sent this story to you Michelle
Apparently the Governor has posted a state trooper at Helen Jones-Kelly’s house on tax payer dollars
I think Mr. Wurzelbacher has a pretty good chance at some of that sweet Ohio state government money. If the taxpayers of Ohio had any brains, they’d…oh, wait, they went for Obama, right?
Never mind.
Keep in mind Bill O’Reilly tried to send a reporter to talk to her and got stonewalled
The governor is a democrat so that woman will get a pass…Everyone should prepare themselves for obama’s followers to dig into evryone’s private business get ready…
Repeat after me:
(D) = pass
(D) = pass
(D) = pass
(D) = pass………
So if there was one robbery in the city this year, the robber could find nothing of value to steal, but was caught red handed, we should just let them go because is was an isolated and not widespread.
Leftist logic at its best.
But it sure happened, didn’t it? Not wide-spread abuse but abuse, nonetheless. Shouldn’t there be criminal charges brought against Ms Jones-Kelley? She’s the director of a state office whose job it should be to prevent such abuse by anyone and not be permitted to carry out such abuse on her own. It’s an example of endemic corruption if ever I saw one.
The ONLY reason we know this Jones-Kelley abused her position and used state resources for political purposes is because of Joe the Plumber.
My question: In how many other states did this abuse occur?
I see. There may have been one instance of a government official breaking the law, but since it wasn’t “wide-spread” or “systematic” abuse it’s OK.
Got it.
Typical liberal moral equivalency.
OMG! I can’t believe I typed “liberal” and “moral” in the same sentence!
I’m pretty sure this is an invasion of privacy and Joe should be winning the lottery.
When I worked for the State of Utah, violation of privacy rules was grounds for immediate dismissal.
systematic: a: methodical in procedure or plan b: marked by thoroughness and regularity
wide-spread: widely diffused or prevalent
Well no kidding sherlock- let me re-write that if I may:
But best-case scenario, there is evidence of an acute abuse of government resources.
If that happened in AZ that employee would be fired for using State property for political fundraising. No ifs, ands, or buts, just GOOD BYE!! Especially a dept head since they work at the discretion of the Gov.
It’s ironic that the “Big Brother” government with its abhorrent abuses of privacy that the left constantly screams about is they themselves. The irony runs deep indeed.
Is anyone else getting really tired of these kinds of crimes going unpunished?
Hand raised.
“The
ladyGovernor doth protest too much, methinks.”–From Hamlet (III, ii, 239)
That’s pretty rough punishment. Paid vacation for breaking the law.
Let me re-write to show what the Govenor was actually thinking:
when asked whether he’s checking into any other possible misuse of state resources, the governor replied, “Hell no!!!! Its so widespread that we couldnt afford all of the lawsuits that we would be hit with and we cant fire that many people at one time…. OBAMA save me!”
Of course, Of course! All In Service Of The One!
Of course, if by Repubs are just are bad, you mean the President sat around, didn’t clean house but felt through his massive ego thought he could charm them into loving America and behaving honorably and lawfully, then yes!
I’m waiting for our elected R “friends’” OUT RAGE—
3-2-1-NONE
NO SPINE
Stay “in line”
REEEEEEEEACH across the aisle…
I guess we’re going to have to act…
NO MORE L_O_T_E_S
Arnold -do you hear???!!!
CRP-RNC-GOP do you hear???
SILENCE…NOPE THEY DON’T
C-CS
Not a surprize. Next she will run for higher office until she’s discovered with cash in her freezer.
Richard Nixon has been vindicated!! Watergate was an just a harmless, isolated prank and there was no evidence of widespread abuse of government resources.
Gimme a break!!!!!
THANK YOU GOVERNOR
for verifying and validating our suspicions that a culture of corruption exists in you administration and it extends to the highest levels.
Sorry, sometimes when I close the edit-field on the PDA, then reopen it to edit the text, what I see isn’t whats in the edit buffer…
self edit:
Of course, if by “Republicans are just as bad”, you mean that the President rode into DC, didnt clean house as he should have, but felt through his massive ego he could charm those corrupt SOBs into loving America and behaving honorably and lawfully, then yes, they are!
ps: additionally, let me add that I’m sympathetic to the above POV.
He’s a liberal…the opposite of what he said IS the truth!
When a politician, lawyer or educator says this, you can stop listening.
I’m just gilding the lilly but, as we all know, this is NOT a case of “Republicans are just as bad”. The average Republican believes in law and order. We actually point fingers at criminals and say “that is a bad thing and you should be punished” without regard as to who that criminal is or what party they support.
However, the Republicans currently in Congress are soooooo lacking in minerals, had this person been Republican, they would have hung her out on a clothesline just to show the DemoCommies in the MSM how they like to play to the tune of their rivals (as opposed to the right reason of doing it because she committed a crime).
Since she is a DemoCommie, the Repbliwimps will sit on their hands and say nothing because we wouldn’t want to upset the current wave of bipartisanship. Would we??
This snooping is expressly forbidden both by State and Federal Regulations. Other blogs are following the story.
http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2008/11/joe-the-plumber-records-ohio-probe-begins-into-government-snooping/
Ted Strickland? The same Democrat who kept a sex offender on his staff covering up for an ethically-challenged bureaucrat? jamais dans la vie!
When is the governor up for re-election?
And, I’ll point out this:
1) if you don’t punish bad behavior you get more.
2) the “moderate”/conservative-lite/republican-lite buys-in to the “don’t punish bad behavior” mindset by its nature. Go-along-to-get-along-ism has to, by its nature, encourage dismissle of bad conduct because by its central tenent, standing for a value/law/rule is counter-productive. You take a stand on a core value – like right vs wrong – you can’t compromise or find that mythical middleground.
What we have this Presidential election cycle is a political machine that has only been given positive feedback. A physicist or engineer will tell you what happens to systems governed by positive feedback: without a braking influence they experience wider and more powerful oscillations until they until they tear themselves apart.
As is our culture.
You had me at “Democrat.”
Someone should start a fund for Joe the Plumber to sue the pants off Ohio. That’ll teach them a lesson. We can’t allow them to get a pass on this or it will happen to someone else.
Of course CIE#30, I wasn’t saying that. What I’m saying is that those who allow bad behavior out of cowardess, ego, or relativism are as guilty,(or almost as guilty,) as those who perform it.
If I see a person (literally) kicking a 2yr old’s teeth in, and I lift no finger to stop it, regardless of the reasons, I am as guilty as the perp.
The Rs, (mostly) through inaction, are guilty of the damage to our society and culture! Especially so, since the reason they allowed was cowardess: “But The Press will call me eeevvviiiiillllll! Bbwwwaaaaaaa!”
For that and for power they have refused to listen to the majority of the people. They allowed the propagandizing of our nation’s children to prepare the soil for the seeds of socialism, they sat on their hands instead of reigning in the Dept of Ed, so they’d be invited to parties!
And, we allowed it, because we had no way of putting the pieces together. We thought that “he maybe a snake, but he’s *our* snake!” – not taking into account the other 500+ snakes in the nest.
This…person (edited before posting) should be fired, now, today. For being completely stupid, the governor should be impeached and run out of the state. Someone up there needs to go through their legislature with a bad attitude and a switch.
ECS
I wonder how all the people that screamed about Bushhitlers wire and phone tapping,email scanning,privacy invasions are going to feel when Husseins thugs are digging into their lives.Do you think we will hear about it?
Right on Mike..
At least you used them in the form of an oxymoron, which is the only way they should be in the same sentence.
If I used a work computer to do this I’d be sending change-of-address cards with Ft Leavenworth as the forwarding residence. You haven’t heard it in the news, but the military has been prosecuting violations under the UCMJ for doing this.
Allo Rabbid and Dimsdale. Haven’t posted much here since the election, lest I seem like I’m gloating (trust me — I know the pain of seeing a candidate you oppose head to the Oval Office). Anyway — I know this isn’t an open thread but thought I’d stop in and say hi. Not in the mood for a big argument, just peeking around generally. Hope you’re well (as can be, considering). Really.
I hate to sound like an activist but we’re not getting anything done if we sit on Michelle’s blog and do nothing. I’m from the sixties world of student protest. Back then I was on the other side. Forty years of living has allowed me to clear my heard of such garbage, but the methods we used are just as effective for the conservative movement today.
Get on the phone, write e-mails and work at your local Republican headquarters. Do these things everyday day not just doing elections. Weak minded and value bankrupt politicians like Strickland will respond to pressure. The MSM can’t ignore us forever.
Hmmm…thanks.
Get out the popcorn…
Check email and phone records… It wouldn’t surprise too many if the trail went to and from the Obama campaign. If there’s some contacts, this could have all the foundation for the Dem’s Watergate…
Good to hear from you! No hard feelings at all.
Preaching to the choir gets boring after a while. Thats why places of worship have congregations that need to be ‘converted’ or brought into the fold. lol
And that works both ways.
I didnt realize you opposed Clinton too. That’s good to know!
Fixed it.
Good point. For me, I am about to buy a new house, so I am deciding if I want to beat my head against the wall here in the land of the liberals, or if I want to buy property just over the county line instead.
I also figured the non-Dem politicians are moving like molasses at the moment.
Father Ted (if I remember, he’s a pastor) is parsing words, perhaps. Not sure if there is any legalese at work here, but he suggests that there is no “systematic, wide-spread abuse of government resources“. Umm, Father Ted, we just want to know if there was any misuse here, not whether it was really big. The size of the misuse is not the point.
Dave,
I think you miss the point. I understand where you are coming from but, as a minion of the Government myself, I can assure you, there are very few ways to really get in trouble. Misusing one’s Government computer is almost at the top of the list – violating the Privacy Act while doing so, in addition to being criminal, bumps it pretty far up a small list.
However, the rules must be different for Democrats.
I am sure, since she is a Dem, she was only looking at this person’s records because he MUST be a threat to society – that is, not a Dem. And that, apparently, is OK.
This is precisely what we mean when we talk about the big O being a Stalinist.. Do what we say or you are a threat – and must be dealt with.. You know, for the good of the collective..
I think the Ohio Atty General should start an investigation from the governors office on down the line.
The governor should have already asked for such a review. Trying to sweep the actions of the state employees under the rug can only compromise the integrity of the office of the governor.
The hack is on “paid leave”? Another word for paid leave is vacation. She’ll rest up on the beach until the few media people following this story move along towards “That one’s” inauguration and she’ll come back rested, will probably receive a raise and become a hero for the unhinged left. What a joke. She should be FIRED!
Gotta love Glenn Beck’s old stick: “YET ANOTHER ISOLATED INCIDENT!”…
Oh, stop it. I wasn’t old enough to vote for Clinton — but I enjoyed him all the same. Anyway — have a good night. And keep your sense of humor. It’s lovely!
Ohio voters, WAKE UP!
If your governor thinks that this is not a problem, then you need a new governor. His failure to pay this incident the proper due is malfeasance of office. Now is the time to impeach or recall ALL politicians who abuse citizen’s privacy. I do not care what the letter is after the office (R or D). It is time to hold on to that little bit of decency and freedom we have left after government has expanded into almost everything we do.
Maybe the new grassroots movement should be to throw out every incumbents regardless of the party affilitation.
Ouch, that hurt
wait…
Neither was I, but I read about him in history class.
On November 10th, 2008 at 7:36 pm, Dandapani said:
Gotta love Glenn Beck’s old stick: “YET ANOTHER ISOLATED INCIDENT!”…
We are all isolated now,waiting on incidents.
Good old Ted Strickland and his pals who were going to clean up Ohio government after Bob Taft. They’re not doing so well. The attorney general resigned because of a scandal, the secretary of state allows voter fraud, and now it’s the governor minimizing misuse of office. They need to stop making my state look bad.
Does anyone in American politics have any honor left???
And don’t forget your state went for Obama.
Nope…just screwing Joe, and Joe alone.
Consider that Helen Jones-Kelly makes almost 150,000 a year is a nice vacation
Sorry about that Ohio going for Obama thing. I’m not happy about that either.
“Unless you are not a democrat.”
Bingo! The election is overand through a million despicable actions, small and large, they are now in power. They do not have to answer for anything…. and they know it. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
I voted for Blackwell…
John Kaisich 2010!
I notice that this is paid leave – which is equivalent to a paid vacation. As I said earlier, this will blow over and nothing will happen even though it is obvious that there was intentional abuse by a government official. I also await the trial of that “Son of a Democrat” legislator who hacked Palin’s account. Any bet that anything will be done? – maybe a fine that will be quickly paid.
Emotions are now an excuse for law breaking or unethical activities.
Investigating Mohammed Attah and his band of Goat Raping friends.. Democrats scream about the constitution.
Investigating a Conservative… just fine and dandy.
To democrats the constitution is a solid blanket of protection when it supports their cause… When it doesn’t..they treat it like toilet paper.
Now it is up to the Ohio voters. As the Queen of Hearts would say in Alice in Wonerland, “Off whith their heads.” Vote them out. Now!
Thankfully, using new narrow band targeted intimidation tactics, wide spread abuse is no longer necessary to achieve our goals here at The Democratic Juggernaut. By only abusing the constitutional rights of a few strategically selected persons, the masses can be spared these inconveniences but still get the intended message: You malcontents better clam up or you will regret it. We here at TDJ are proud to be on the cutting edge of intimidation tactics.
Police who do this are usually fired and this lady should be too. Ohio has added itself to the list of states with no rule of law anymore just plain crooked. I hope Joe sues the State, city and this lady for jillions.
Come on….Ohio has a rule of law…it is just different for democrats than it is for evil Republicans. This is just one more “little” example. A better example is over in Minnesota where many new votes for the “good guy” were just uncovered in a dumpster outside the Pink Kitten lounge and entertainment center. Though they were a bit wet and they were marked on cocktail napkins they will have to be counted….just to be FAIR……no wide spread abuse here…just a few hundred isolated votes…go back to sleep it is all OK
Gov. Strickland is a Democrat. ‘Nuf said.
–
Ignorance, our most costly commodity – paraphrased from Rush Limbaugh.
I have had the unpleasant experience of having Ohio State employees spy on me and it is frightening to see that it was not an isolated incident. Governor Strickland was not in office when I was spied upon but has done nothing to make such spying a priority to stamp out. There will be a Civil Rights inquiry and lawsuits, and we are likely to find out a lot more or Joe is going to get a pile of cash to shut up.
Why no outrage on spying on innocent Americans – just spying on Islamic terrorists plotting our deaths?