Time to Get Rid of the Filibuster

The reason why we are all holding our breaths today about the vote in Massachusetts's special election can be summed up in one word: filibuster If it wasn't for the filibuster and its requirement that motions to stop debate get 60 votes, then we wouldn't care. We wouldn't care because the Dem majority would go from 10 to 9 and, frankly, while it would be embarrassing to lose Ted Kennedy's old seat, it would not be critical. No, it is only critical because the Senate has the filibuster.

Now, the filibuster is not dictated by the United States Constitution, unlike, say the requirement that every state have two Senators. It was contrived by the Senate itself and has been used by reactionaries to make an institution deliberately designed to be conservative even more conservative.

Of course, just as it was used by Dixiecrats to stop civil rights legislation, it is now being used by Republicans to stop progressive legislation, or, in the case of the health-care reform bill, to take liberal legislation and turn it into conservative mush.

So, how do we get rid of it? Well, two Republicans who used to work for Bill Frist when he was Republican Majority Leader wrote an article for the Harvard Law Review on what they referred to as the "constitutional option." Click on the link to read the article. Then, contact Senator Sherrod Brown's office and tell them that you think the filibuster should go.

Brown Calls for Stimulus Funds to be Allocated by Unemployment & Foreclosure Rates

January 16, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today called on his colleagues to allocate economic recovery funds to states based on unemployment and foreclosure rates. In a letter to Senate leadership, Brown called for relief funds to be targeted to states like Ohio that have been disproportionately suffering from the economic downturn.

“Just as the recession has disproportionately affected certain industries, so too have certain states felt this downturn more acutely than others,” wrote Brown in a letter to Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). “In Ohio, this is evidenced by above-average unemployment and home foreclosure rates, swelling jobless rolls, increased reliance on the food stamp program, and a number of other economic indicators.  Unfortunately, these problems are not limited to our state.”  

Ohio is among the states hardest hit by the current recession. Since 2000, the state has lost more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs. The state’s unemployment rate of 7.3 percent is the tenth highest in the nation. Ohio’s foreclosure rate is the tenth highest in the nation, and significant water and sewer infrastructure needs—including $11.6 billion in documented clean water needs and $6.3 billion in unmet sewage upgrade costs.

In December, Brown sent a letter to President-elect Barack Obama advocating for specific priorities to be included in the final bill. The letter also was sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

In the letter today, Brown outlined how stimulus funds could be most effectively allocated to alleviate the economic downturn.  The letter was also signed by Senator George V. Voinovich (R-OH).

“Factors like unemployment and foreclosure rates should be given great weight as stimulus funding is determined,” the letter continued. “The effects of the economic crisis have been uneven across the country.  To be effective, our nation’s economic stimulus strategy should reflect this reality.”

Senator Sherrod Brown's Statement on December Unemployment Figures

January 9, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) today reported that payroll numbers in December fell by 533,000 – for the twelfth straight month of job loss in the country. The nation’s unemployment rate jumped to 7.2 percent, from 6.8 percent in November.

In response, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) issued the following statement:

“Today marks the twelfth straight month of job loss for our country. In just two months alone, more than one million Americans lost their jobs. We are not only talking about numbers or percentages when it comes to unemployment. We are talking about families with mortgages and health care costs.

Ohioans don’t need statistics to tell them about the state our economy. Just this week, our state’s unemployment system crashed. Thousands of Ohioans are in need of assistance, and we need to act now. I will continue to work to pass an economic recovery plan that creates jobs and invests in the middle class.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown Introduces Legislation to Aid Unemployed Get Health Insurance

January 7, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced legislation to improve health care access for unemployed Americans. The Coverage Continuity Act of 2009 would address gaps in access to health coverage that jeopardize the health and stability of unemployed workers and their families.

“Layoffs don’t just affect a family’s financial well-being—they can also affect a family’s physical well-being,” said Brown. “Now is not the time for more American workers to join the ranks of the uninsured. We need to make sure that families have access to affordable health care during this challenging time.”

Brown’s legislation modernizes and improves the health coverage tax credit (HCTC), which is currently available to workers who have lost manufacturing jobs due to increased international trade and to retirees whose pension plans have been taken over by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). The refundable credit, which can be redeemed in advance of tax season, currently covers 65% of the cost of health insurance. Due in part to the low subsidy rate, many potential beneficiaries—more than 320,000 in 2005—do not participate in the program. Brown’s legislation increases the subsidy to 85 percent of the health insurance plan cost.

The legislation also temporarily extends the HCTC to individuals with COBRA coverage. COBRA allows unemployed workers and their families to maintain health insurance through their former employer for up to 18 months, as long as they pay the full cost of the premiums and an administrative fee. Due to the high cost of COBRA coverage, only about 20 percent of those eligible for COBRA make use of it during their period of unemployment. The Coverage Continuity Act of 2009 would provide a 12-month extension of COBRA coverage and the HCTC to prevent additional Americans from being uninsured.

The Coverage Continuity Act of 2009 would:

Increase the Health Coverage Tax credit (HCTC) to 85 percent for all current and future recipients beginning in calendar year 2009: The HCTC is an important mechanism for preventing displaced workers from losing health coverage. However, the low take-up rate for the HCTC can be improved by increasing the subsidy level. Brown’s legislation draws from bipartisan legislation introduced in the last Congress by Senator Max Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and increases the tax credit from covering 65 percent of the cost of insurance to covering 85 percent of that cost.

Expand HCTC eligibility to individuals currently enrolled in COBRA: Effective January 1, 2009, Brown’s legislation would allow individuals currently enrolled in COBRA to claim the HCTC for 18 months or until the end of their COBRA eligibility, whichever comes first.

Extend COBRA coverage period: Brown’s legislation allows individuals whose COBRA eligibility ends between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 to be eligible for an additional 12 months of COBRA coverage as long as they remain continuously enrolled. They would be eligible for the HCTC for the duration of their COBRA coverage.

Cooper Tire to Keep Plant Open in Findlay, Close Plant in Georgia

December 17, 2008

CLEVELAND, OH – In response to today’s announcement by Cooper Tire and Rubber to keep 1,100 jobs in Findlay, Ohio, U.S. Senator Brown (D-OH) released the following statement:

“I commend Cooper Tire for their decision to keep jobs in Ohio. Cooper Tire has been a part of the Findlay community for more than 90 years. I applaud the outstanding collaborative efforts of the United Steelworkers Local 207L, Greater Findlay Inc., the Ohio Department of Development, and the City of Findlay, and Hancock County. The community united to save jobs and to help keep Cooper Tire competitive. This is a proud day for Ohio and for middle class families. The productivity of Cooper Tire Workers is a big reason why this plant is staying open. I look forward to continuing to work with them and with the company as we rebuild Ohio.”

Brown, who has been working with union leaders, company management, state officials, and local stakeholders since a network capacity study was announced in October, also expressed concern for Cooper Tire Workers in Albany, Georgia, where Cooper Tire was forced to close a plant.

“Ohio has lost more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs in the last eight years,” Brown said. “I am extremely empathetic to the plight of Georgia families with this plant closing. This news underscores why we must have a new direction for our trade policies so that U.S. companies can stay globally competitive and keep jobs here at home.”

Ohio Plant Shuts Down and Moves to Mexico

Statement issued by Senator Sherrod Brown on the decision of Kongsberg Automotive to close its Ohio plant and move its production to Mexico:

December 15, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC – In response today’s Kongsberg Automotive announcement to close its Van Wert plant – formerly Teleflex – and move the jobs to Matamoros, Mexico, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) issue the following statement:

“I am deeply disappointed by this decision. For more than 40 years, Teleflex was an excellent corporate citizen of Ohio. This is a betrayal of generations of Van Wert workers who raised families on Teleflex salaries and who helped build the company and support the community. This also underscores the need to review the results of trade deals like NAFTA, and move our nation’s trade policies in a new direction. We must also ensure that Kongsberg’s Van Wert workers get every benefit they deserve. I encourage workers to call my Cleveland office for assistance. My staff and I stand ready to assist workers and their families.”

Norwegian-based Kongsberg bought Teleflex last year. Shortly after the purchase, Kongsberg locked out Teleflex workers and moved a production line to Mexico. Brown, who contacted Kongsberg directly to call on them not to close the plant, has been working closely with workers as the situation unfolded.

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown Receives Ohio Farm Bureau Award

WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) received the “Friend of Farm Bureau” Award from the Ohio Farm Bureau on December 5, 2008. The award is given each year to members of Congress who have supported issues important to Ohio agriculture. Brown is the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 40 years.

“I’m honored to fight for the priorities of Ohio’s family farmers,” said Brown. “This award represents our shared success in passing the 2008 farm bill and serves as a reminder of the important work ahead. Together, we can invest in rural communities and support Ohio’s farmers as they meet our nation’s energy and nutrition needs.”
Ohio Farm Bureau President Bob Peterson presented Brown with the award today at the Ohio Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting in Columbus.

Brown was instrumental in passing the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, commonly referred to as the Farm Bill. This 2008 farm bill makes bold investments in rural development. Through the Farm Bill and other programs, Ohio received $3.3 billion in rural development funds over the last seven years, with funding for more than 120 rural development projects.

Brown helped to secure several major provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill, including one of the bill’s most notable initiatives, the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program. This reform allows farmers to choose between traditional farm programs and a new program that protects against drops in yield or prices – critical for farmers given the uncertain and volatile farm economy. In addition to providing better protection for farmers, ACRE will save taxpayers more than $1 billion over five years.

Brown has held more 120 roundtables throughout the state, including a weeklong series of roundtables focused exclusively on agriculture. This past October, Brown held two hearings of the Senate Agriculture Committee on the effects of the economic crisis on rural America. Brown chaired these hearings, which were entitled “Path to Opportunity: Jobs and the Economy in Appalachia.”

Senator Sherrod Brown's Remarks on Auto Industry Aid

Ohio's Democratic United States Senator, Sherrod Brown, made an eloquent and impassioned defense of the auto industry at a hearing held on November 18, 2009 by the Senate's Banking Committee. Take particular notice of the part that we have in bold type:

Mr. Chairman, thank you for calling this afternoon’s hearing.

The American automotive industry needs our help, and it needs it now. The surest way to turn today’s recession into a depression would be to let this industry flounder.

Like the banking industry, the auto companies have made some poor decisions. But they’ve had plenty of help. In 2005, for example, the House and Senate decided against raising fuel efficiency standards. Most of the members of this committee took the position that the CAFE standards were fine as they stood.

I wish the federal government had acted sooner on CAFE. But we didn’t, and so we are on shaky ground if we now shake a finger at Detroit for being ill-prepared for $4.00 gasoline.

I wish the federal government had acted a lot sooner to address the housing crisis, too. It was only a little over a year ago that the Bush administration began to realize we had a serious problem on our hands. Throughout last year, the administration and boosters in the housing industry told us the problem was largely contained.

It was contained, in their view, to the subprime mortgage market and to states like Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. If you set aside those three states, according to one housing economist at the time, the market was doing just fine.

We’ve seen the success of that approach. Before long, every state in the nation felt the impact and every sector of the economy were dragged down by the troubles in housing. But that mistaken approach is exactly what some of my colleagues are suggesting we take in response to the crisis in the American automotive industry.

Sure, the biggest and most immediate impact will be in places like Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. But auto suppliers and dealers and related industries in every state will soon feel the impact. This industry is woven into the fabric of our economy every bit as much as Lehman Brothers or AIG or the three banks that testified before the committee last week.

Each one of those three banks received $25 billion under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. If it makes sense to give one bank $25 billion, then we can certainly invest the same amount to save the entire domestic auto industry.

As we heard last week, the banks may or may not lend the money any time soon. They may or may not use it to buy other banks. They may or may not award nice bonuses to their executives this year.I do not know what those companies are going to do with the funds they received from the taxpayers, and I don’t know what impact it will have.

But I do know what the American auto industry will do with the loans it seeks. It will build cars using parts from every state in the nation. It will provide good jobs to hundreds of thousands of middle class families in places like Lordstown and Sharonville and Toledo, Ohio. And it will support a decent retirement for a million senior citizens in every corner of our country.

Nobody wants to write this industry or any industry a blank check, and if Detroit were indifferent to the challenges it faces, then I don’t think it would have a very good case to make. But if you need evidence that Detroit gets it, look at last year’s labor agreement.

Labor and management made unprecedented changes to bring their costs in line with the competition.

They didn’t anticipate the current economic environment any more than Alan Greenspan or Secretary Paulson did. But if failing to see the future foreclosed access to federal help, the line of applicants would be very short.

If that were our standard, the government wouldn’t aid the victims of floods or fires. But we don’t turn a blind eye to people who live near the Gulf Coast or the California hills. We help them. Economically and politically, we are the United States, not some confederation of islands.

And we must be united in rebuilding a strong and vibrant manufacturing sector, a sector that has withered over the past decade as we tried to build one Potemkin village after another. Our economy cannot make it on mouse clicks alone, and we cannot live by just lending to one another. We need to build real things.

Helping bankers is fine. But we have it exactly backwards if we help those who don’t need it and ignore those who do.

Thank you Mr. Chairman

Sherrod Brown Raises Keating Five Scandal

Sherrod Brown went after Senator John McCain on the economy and, in making the attack, raised the issue of the Keating Five scandal which involved John McCain and four other Senators. The scandal was wrapped up in the savings and loan meltdown of the 1980s. Here is Sherrod's quote, as reported by Sam Stein of Huffington Post:

"His main adviser is Phil Gramm -- he was his mentor in the Senate -- and you just tie it all together. Of course John McCain supported the oil industry, he has oil lobbyists working for him. Of course John McCain supported these trade agreements, he has got Wall Street people working for him... It is all wrapped up together. John McCain is a creature of these interest groups in Washington. He is no maverick and, from the Keating Five on, his ethics have been questionable. He's not a maverick and Barack has got to just keep hammering on that."

Sherrod went on to say the following:

"On every major issue John McCain supports the wealthiest groups in Washington and Barack Obama fights for the middle class. Elections are simple and it's as simple as that"

You can read more about Sherrod's comments here.

Sherrod Brown: "Looking out for your family trumps race."

The American Prospect has a short article up on its website that is questions to Senator Sherrod Brown, (D-OH), about what Obama has to do to carry Ohio. In his answers, Senator Brown states the following: Looking out for your family trumps race. Looking out for your family trumps guns, or abortion, or gay marriage.

Senator Brown states in the interview that Obama will win or lose Ohio in cities like Mansfield, Marion, and Lima. Cities that trend Republican, but can be reached by a Democrat who stresses a economically populist message. Senator Brown points out that in 2004, John Kerry lost those cities and the counties they were in, but that in the 2006 election, he carried them.

Click on the link above and check out the interview. It is well worth your time.

Senator Sherrod Brown Writes Washington Post Column About Baseball

Senator Sherrod Brown is a great fan of the Cleveland Indians and a great baseball fan. In the August 13, 2008 issue of the Washington Post he has an article about how Bowie Kuhn, the former Commissioner of Major League Baseball, is in the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, but Marvin Miller, who greatly increased the power of the major league baseball players' union isn't. The article can be read here. It is well written, and interesting even if you are not a baseball fanatic. Check it out.

Senator Sherrod Brown Votes Against FISA Bill, McCain Skips Vote

Senator Sherrod Brown, (D-OH), voted against the FISA bill when it came before the United States Senate on Wednesday. Meanwhile John McCain who assailed Barack Obama for not filibustering a bill that he supports, decided to skip the vote.

How Sherrod Brown Took the Senate in 2006

Earlier we posted an entry on why Howard Metzenbaum got elected three times to the U.S. Senate from Ohio. Our point was that Metzenbaum, although a Jewish liberal, got votes from white working class voters, even while, in 1988, Dukasis was losing Ohio to George H.W. Bush. We pointed out that he did it by talking about economic issues first, last, and always.

That post got us wondering how Sherrod Brown did with white working class voters in the 2006 election against Mike DeWine. Now, for purposes of this entry, we are defining working class voters as voters who don't possess a four year college degree.

The CNN Exit Poll for the 2006 Ohio Senate Race shows that Brown carried this demographic group of voters against DeWine in 2006. Here are some numbers from that poll:

Brown beat DeWine among all white voters by a 52% to 48% margin. He took white males by a margin of 51% to 49% and white women by a margin of 53% to 47%. He took non-college educated 57% to 43% and he took college graduates by a margin of 55% to 45%. Among white voters who stated religious preferences, the only group that Brown lost were white Protestants, and he took white Catholics, white Jews, whites of other religions, and whites who don't have any religion.

Among geographical regions, the only areas he lost was Southwestern Ohio, and he won in cities and suburbs, but lost in small towns and in rural areas. He won both among union members and among non-union members.

Whoever comes out of the race for the Democratic nomination should take a long look at Sherrod's 2006 campaign for Senator and use that same approach when campaigning not only in Ohio but all over the United States.

Senate Votes for Cloture on Bill to Cut Off Funding for Iraq War

In what was seen as a surprise move, the Republicans in the United States Senate agreed to allow a vote on a bill to cut funding for the Iraq War and to redeploy troops out of Iraq within 120 days. Consequently the motion to invoke cloture passed by a vote of 70 to 24 with 6 Senators not voting.

Both Ohio Senators voted to invoke cloture, which may be the first time that Brown and Voinovich have voted the same way on a bill related to Iraq. Interestingly 21 of the 24 votes against invoking cloture on debating the bill came from Democrats. Democrats voting against cloture included both Democratic Senators from Delaware, and newly elected Democratic Senators Casey, Webb, Tester, and McCaskill.

The Republicans voted to allow the debate to go forward and to advance the bill to a vote because they think that the so-called "success" of the surge will help them move public opinion. Of course, a lot of that depends on how the Democrats frame the debate.

We hope that Democrats point out that Republicans are willing to spend billions of dollars on Iraqis, but not on Americans. Billions of dollars to rebuild Baghdad, but not New Orleans. Framing the debate that way makes the choices that Republicans are making very clear.

We would also like to see Democrats earmark the money saved by cutting funding for the war and deploying troops out of Iraq for helping ordinary Americans caught up in the foreclosure crisis or into developing alternative energy. Of course, it is all hypothetical anyway since Bush has already vowed to veto any bill cuts off funding and redeploy troops out of Iraq. Still, the debate could be interesting.

Sherrod Brown and the Five Largest Ohio Counties

Earlier we posted an entry on how Senator Sherrod Brown did in the 20 counties that make up southeastern Ohio, excluding Franklin. What we found was that Senator Brown got over 54% of the vote in those 20 counties, winning 18 of them. In this entry we look at how he did in the five counties in Ohio that have a population of 500,000 or over. Those counties are Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Montgomery and Summit.

As it turns out, Senator Brown did very well in those counties. He won four of them, and only lost Hamilton by 2,027 votes. In the five counties as a whole, he received 907,007 and former Senator DeWine received 592,406. This gave Senator Brown a margin of 314,601, or a winning percentage of 63.8%.

Interestingly while these five counties were very important to Senator Brown's victory, his margin of victory statewide was greater than his margin of victory in those five counties. Statewide he won by a margin of 496,393, with a winning percentage of 56.16%.

Here are the totals for the five largest counties:

County/ Brown/ Dewine
Cuyahoga/ 319,645/ 133,260
Franklin/ 217,961/ 154,098
Hamilton/ 142,134/ 144,167
Montgomery/ 100,491/ 88,322
Summit/ 126,776/ 72,559

Senator Sherrod Brown Co-Sponsors Diabetes Bill

One of the real passions that drives Senator Sherrod Brown is a concern for improving the health care of Americans. His interest in this area is long-standing. It started early in his life since his Dad was a family doctor in the Mansfield area. While he was in the United States House, he took the lead on trying to get the Federal Government to do more on breast cancer. Now that he is in the United States Senate, he is taking on diabetes care and treatment.

Ohio.com has an article up its website dated Friday, December 14, 2007 about Senator Brown working with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to pass the Catalyst to Better Diabetes Care Act, which he plans to introduce with Coryn. The reason why this caught the attention of Ohio.com is that since 2000 only two other counties in Ohio have had as big a jump in diabetes cases as Summit County. Those counties are Mahoning County and Montgomery County.

What's interesting about Brown working with Cornyn is that Cornyn is a very conservative Republican from the very red state of Texas. Yet, Brown is able to work with him on this very important piece of legislation. Sometimes we get so caught up in the partisan bickering in Washington that we don't realize that there are many issues which cut across partisan lines. Diabetes treatment is apparently one of them. Both Senators Brown and Cronyn deserve our thanks for working together on this legislation.

Senator Sherrod Brown Votes Against Iran Resolution

The Kyl-Lieberman Resolution on Iraq came up for a vote on Wednesday, September 26, 2007. Although the Resolution was amended to take out some of the more egregious wording, it still labeled a unit of the Iranian Army a "terrorist" organization. As Senator Jim Webb pointed out this Resolution was never discussed in a Senate Committee and this was the first time that a branch of the U.S. Government has labeled a branch of a foreign country's military a "terrorist" organization. Many people fear that the Bush Administration is determined to drag us into a war with Iran before leaving office. Giving them any sort of justification to do so is like giving a gun to a baby.

Bush Veto of Health Insurance Bill Will Hurt Ohio Kids

Elizabeth Auster of the Cleveland Plain Dealer had a column in the July 29, 2007 issue about how Governor Strickland's plan to insure more Ohio children may be screwed because of a possible Bush veto of a bill to increase health insurance for children. If you click on this entry's title, you can read an article that includes the following quote from Governor Strickland:

"The coverage the president enjoys, that enables him to have a colonoscopy that is not available to a lot of other people, is in part financed through the government," Strickland said. "This is really frustrating, that in a country that's spending billions of dollars a month on a war that he chose to initiate, that we cannot spend the money that's needed to make sure that our children have access to health care. I find that reprehensible."

This quote from the Auster column shows how the program would work:

In the past, Ohio has limited coverage under the children's health insurance program to families with incomes up to twice the poverty level - $41,300 this year for a family of three and $48,260 for a family of four. Beginning next year, families whose incomes fall between twice and triple the federal poverty level - between about $41,300 and $61,900 for a family of three - will be able to buy coverage for a $40 monthly premium per child.

Ohio's Democratic Senator, Sherrod Brown, supports the expansion of health insurance but Senator Voinovich has not yet announced a position. If you are so inclined, you can call his Cleveland office at 216-522-7095 or his Washington office at 202-224-3353 and let his staff know your thoughts on this issue. The name of the program is the State Children's Health Insurance Program and your question would be whether Senator Voinovich backs an expansion of this program. Be polite. If you call and receive an answer, please let us know the response by emailing webmaster@medinacountydemocraticactioncommittee.org.

His Lovely Wife to Speak

The latest book by Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist Connie Schultz, “And His Lovely Wife: A Memoir of the Woman Behind the Man”, will be in bookstores on June 16.

The book is a compilation of journal entries she made while campaigning across Ohio last fall with her husband, Senator Sherrod Brown. It is written in her signature style and is witty, humorous and full of common sense observations.

She writes; The first time I heard it, I laughed. Oh, come on, I thought. He didn’t just say that.We were in a restaurant in southern Ohio where a hundred or so Democrats and a handful of young campaign workers had gathered to hear my husband, Sherrod Brown, announce for the seventh time in two days why he was running for the United States Senate.
The party chairman of the county stood up at the lectern and in a loud, booming voice, introduced “Congressman Sherrod Brown – and his lovely wife”.
By week 40 of the campaign, I had been introduced that way nearly a hundred times.

Connie Schultz is scheduled to appear in Medina on September 27 to speak and to sign books at the Broadway Auditorium (in the County Administration Building) at an event sponsored by the American Association of University Women. 

—Gloria Brown

The above article ran in the June 2007 issue of Common Sense, Medina County's only Democratic newspaper and is cross-posted at www.medinacountycommonsense.com.