Ohio

The times, they are a'changin'

Lloyd Benston famously said to Dan Quayle, "Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy." And we say to John Kasich, "Governor, you are no Ted Strickland." In three short months, you have torn apart this proud state -- threatening every group that dares express an opinion that doesn't line up with your agenda.

Here's what the Bully on the Bus is up to:

Making teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses and other public employees the fall guys. Remember, immediately after the election, he said, “I am waiting for the teachers’ unions to take out full-page ads in all the major newspapers, apologizing for what they had to say about me during this campaign.” (Spingfield News-Sun) (Ironically, many union members voted GOP -- and now regret checking "Kasich" in the voting booth.)

Hiding budget cuts. Claiming to boost K-12 funding when schools actually will see cuts of 6.1 percent in the budget's first year and 4.7 percent in its second year. (Huffington Post)

Cutting programs for the poorest of the poor, vulnerable elderly, the handicapped while crowing about "protecting" the richest of the rich. As Ohio Rep. John Patrick Carney (D-Clintonville) told NBC4 in Columbus,"If they [nursing homes] are laying off 6,000 people, what are we going to do with respect to making sure the quality of care that the individual in those homes are getting?"

Taking away women's rights by banning abortions if there is evidence a fetus has a heartbeat -- which could be as early as 18 days after conception. (ABC News)

Disenfranchising voters. The Ohio Senate is considering a bill passed by the House that makes Ohio's existing requirements more stringent, blocking students, the working poor, the elderly, racial minorities, and people with disabilities -- who are twice as likely not to have the approved forms of ID. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

The list goes on. And remember, Kasich took office in January! What is ahead?

Progressives cannot take this lying down. As Ted Strickland said in a March 19 speech, It's time to fight. now -- and the next two years.

Think it won't hurt you?

Reliable sources tell UAPA that the City Council is already contemplating how to make up the approximately $110,000 less that Kasich's budget proposal will mean for Upper Arlington. Not much? Right? But what about the $2 million to $4 million annually from estate taxes that will be gone if Kasich and his cronies have their way? (Our information was confirmed in the March 27 Dispatch, " 'Hypothetically, if they both go away, what are the ways to restore our revenues?' asked Wade Steen, an Upper Arlington councilman.")

That will definitely mean an increase in INCOME TAX for each of us. What a way to take a responsibility off a priviledged group and load it onto the entire middle class! (Maybe Kasich is protecting the $500,000 in bonuses he got from Lehman Brothers.)

Remember, shortages roll downhill. When the state won't pay, cities, towns, libraries, school districts and public colleges and university students must. (And that means YOU.)

Join in! Ohio Walk for Choice

Independent national grassroots effort in support of women's rights!

Saturday , February 26,
Noon, march from Wexner Center Plaza, North High Street at 15th Avenue, to the Ohio Statehouse (approximately 3 miles)
OR 2 p.m., rally at the Statehouse
Speakers, music and activities advocating for women’s rights
Details

Fight against the Congressional “Smith Bill,” (H.R. Bill 3), the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which would end comprehensive health insurance and the legality of an abortion in life-threatening pregnancies. The “Pitts Bill” (H.R. Bill 358) to ban abortion coverage in state-based health insurance established under the new health care law. And the “Pence Bill” (H.R. Bill 217) to remove the Title X Family Planning Program and preventative care, including annual exams, cancer screenings, contraceptive services, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections – services which make up 97 percent of Planned Parenthood’s funding in Ohio.

In Ohio, there is the “Heartbeat Bill,” as well as House Bills 7 and 78, which seek to place laws against later-term abortions. House Bill 79 to prohibit abortion coverage in health insurance plans offered by the state, and House Bill 63 and Senate Bill 8, both posing further restrictions upon minors attempting to judicially bypass parental consent for an abortion. Read more.

Contact: Nikki Skrinak at Nikki.Skrinak@gmail.com or 614-354-2765

Time to stand up for Ohio's middle class

Come to the Ohio Statehouse (1 Capitol Square, Columbus, Ohio 43215) Tuesday, February 22, at 1 p.m. to protest the attempt to end collective bargaining in Ohio!

If ever there was a time to show up, stand up and let our voices be heard, it is now. The fate of Ohio’s middle class is on the line at the Ohio Statehouse. Your presence will send a strong message and help efforts to defeat Senate Bill 5 and the rest of the GOP’s anti-middle class agenda.

Wear your work uniform if applicable (fire fighter uniform, scrubs, etc) OR wear red. RSVP.

Can't attend on Feb. 22?

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in opposition to SB 5. Tips and contact information for your local newspaper.

Attend a phone bank to engage other activists in activities against Senate Bill 5. Find the phone bank closest to you.

Here's what you can say about Ohio Senate Bill 5

• SB 5 is a jobs killer. It will weaken the middle class in Ohio.
• Anyone who supports SB 5 is destroying jobs in Ohio and harming the middle class.
• If SB 5 passes, shops, stores, gas stations and other merchants in communities across this state will lay off workers or shutter their windows and close their doors.
• For almost 28 years, collective bargaining has: Reduced labor strife; reduced the likelihood of strikes; and improved training and productivity among public employees.
• The repeal of collective bargaining will do nothing to balance the budget because: 9 percent of the state budget is for state employees; firing every state employee in Ohio would save only $2 billion, leaving the state without vital services and there would still be an $6 billion deficit; since this does not address the budget deficit, it is clear that anti-worker forces are using this to harm the middle class and kill jobs.

Other talking points:

• Public employees provide a wide range of necessary services. They drive children to and from school safely. They patrol our streets, put out fires, provide transportation for disabled and elderly, safeguard our prisons, plow our streets, fix our busted waterlines in freezing weather.
• Our teachers, police, firefighters and other public employees are also our neighbors, friends, family members, coaches, volunteers. They are part of the fabric of our communities.
• Our prison guards, bus drivers, water and sewer workers, educators, in-home caregivers are also consumers and customers in their communities. They spend their money locally on cars, appliances, furniture, food, gas, and other items. They keep local merchants open, hiring and thriving.

THE TRUTH ABOUT PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

DEBUNKING THE MYTHS

Gov. John Kasich and his bullies are trying to paint a false picture of our hard-working police, fire fighters, civil workers and teachers. Don't you believe it. Here are the facts about dedicated public servants, as presented by the Ohio Democratic Party.

THE PAY MYTH

• On average, public employees actually earn $2,000 less than private sector peers
• On average, public employees are higher educated (48%) than private sector peers (23%)
• Higher educated private sector employees earn on average $22,966 more a year than public employees

DRAIN ON THE BUDGET MYTH

• Public employees are not responsible for the $8 billion budget deficit in Ohio
• Eliminating every state employee job in Ohio would only save $2 billion
• Budget gaps in states without collective bargaining are 16.7% higher on average than Ohio
• Anti-union forces are using public employees as scapegoats

THE SACRIFICE MYTH

• Public employees have agreed to make sacrifices
• They have taken furloughed days without pay amounting to 10% of annual salaries
• They have taken four pay freezes in 9 years
• They are contributing more to their health care plans

Kasich on all-white cabinet: No qualified candidates

John Kasich is the first Ohio governor since the 1960s to start his term by appointing an all-white cabinet. (And only five are women.) His reason? He couldn't find "qualified candidates." Sound familiar?

After an outcry, he has appointed one minority member -- Michael Colbert, who is black -- as director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. But Colbert had previously been serving as interim director of the social welfare agency.

When the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus offered to help Kasich diversify his cabinet choices, he told them, "I don't need your people." His staff later said he meant Democrats, not people of color. What?

State Senator Nina Turner (D-District 25, Cleveland) recalls Kasich's rebuff (from the Jan. 31, 2011, Ed Show on MSNBC). She points out that cabinet positions call for administrative skills, not agreement with Kasich's political outlook. And surely there are qualified people of color in Ohio, or in the country, who are experienced administrators.

Kasich's stance shows "strong insensitivity," Turner noted. We'll say. After all, Kasich already has skipped a remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. -- and issued a proclamation honoring the civil rights leader on St. Patrick's Day.

More:

I-Publist.com, "Ohio Governor Says, 'I Don't Need Your People'"

ThinkProgress.com, "Gov. Kasich to Black Lawmaker, 'I Don't Need Your People'"

Imagine loaded guns in family restaurants and in crowded bars. Imagine loaded guns at a sold-out Ohio State football game or Cincinnati Reds baseball game.

Last week a bill allowing permit holders to carry concealed guns into bars, restaurants and sporting events that serve alcohol passed the Ohio Senate.