Ohio's 18 House Congressional Websites: Four Flunk As Info Sources

CINCINNATI (TBB) -- At Left of Ohio, U.S. Rep. John Boehner gets a passing grade for an "incredible" portal that is up-to-date with fresh material. David Potts admits he is no fan of the House Minority Leader, a Republican who hails from Ohio's 8th Congressional District. He says he had to bite his nails, but nonetheless was honest about the grade.

Boehner does have the best site by far. Left of Ohio has links to all 18 sites, and it is worth the time to check them all out.

Four flunked David's exam -- David Hobson, Ralph Regula, Mike Turner and Jean Schmidt. No arguments about those results here. Regula might not be planning to run for reelection, and his Website may reflect that possibility. The Stark County Republican has also been a minimalist on the bill-introduction front -- The Bellwether recalls checking recently and seeing one measure, the resolution to keep Mt. McKinley in Alaska named for the Ohio's former President McKinley. David Hobson, Mike Turner and Jean Schmidt, the other flunkees, are GOPers like Regula. .

On Schmidt, Left of Ohio reported:

"Jean Schmidt, on the other hand, wasn't even worth wasting my time with."

A pretty accurate description of a site that, at last check, hasn't been freshened with any news for a month. Schmidt's most recent item at the time of Dave's early August exam was an Independence Day salute, a bit stale since a lot has happened in Washington during the past month.

Dave's pass/fail ratings get to a larger point in this web-linked world: Those who make deft use the Internet as a communications tool are taking advantage of technology to speak directly with their constituents, the folks who sent them to Washington. An active Internet presence gets the job done. Sadly, the House members who have stale or dull sites aren't using tax dollars wisely. After all, the public is financing the portals, paying for each member's Website. And if they don't care about that little detail, inquiring minds might wonder: What else are they ignoring or blowing off?