Draconian Issue 3 would harm every Ohioan because of its intended and unintended consequences
The U. S. Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act will trump Issue 3 a Ohio Constitutional Amendment. So, Issue 3 will have no final effect. However, if you read the text of Issue 3 and the handout notes for my seminars, you will see that Issue 3 would immediately harm every citizens of Ohio by preventing the improvement of the delivery, and increasing costs of health care. It is so ambiguous and broadly framed that it would result in much litigation which would be paid for the tax payers.
The immediate devastating effect would be to invalidate needed laws and regulations passed since March 19, 2010, including the cost saving ones passed by the Kasich administration. Any needed in the future would also not go into effect. It would keep 1.5 million Ohioans, 135,325 of them children, from having medical insurance or health care until the U. S. Supreme Court ruling is made, and the provisions of the Affordable Care Act from going into effect as scheduled. It would interfere with the use of new vaccines, prevent the keeping and sharing records of new diseases, licensing changes of care givers and cause many other problems.
The immediate devastating effect would be to invalidate needed laws and regulations passed since March 19, 2010, including the cost saving ones passed by the Kasich administration. Any needed in the future would also not go into effect. It would keep 1.5 million Ohioans, 135,325 of them children, from having medical insurance or health care until the U. S. Supreme Court ruling is made, and the provisions of the Affordable Care Act from going into effect as scheduled. It would interfere with the use of new vaccines, prevent the keeping and sharing records of new diseases, licensing changes of care givers and cause many other problems.
Consider Columbus Occupied
We want everyone that is able to come down to the capital of our great state of Ohio to show unity in our efforts to eliminate corporate influence in our government. Bring copies of the original Occupy Wall Street grievances to pass, a sign, snacks, blankets, dedication, etc. to help contribute to our cause. No contribution is too small.
Please come down whenever you can to show support. This movement takes boots on the ground, not fingers on keyboards. If you come down and only see a few people, don't be discouraged -- every person who takes time out of their day, even if it's an hour, gives credibility to our cause. If you feel misrepresented, disenfranchised, or sold out by our government -- the government of the people -- then please give your time to the occupation.
WE ARE THE 99%
Occupy Columbus Occupy Columbus 10/10/11 Columbus Day at the Statehouse
Photos from Oct. 10 event
Oct 10 event
Please come down whenever you can to show support. This movement takes boots on the ground, not fingers on keyboards. If you come down and only see a few people, don't be discouraged -- every person who takes time out of their day, even if it's an hour, gives credibility to our cause. If you feel misrepresented, disenfranchised, or sold out by our government -- the government of the people -- then please give your time to the occupation.
WE ARE THE 99%
Occupy Columbus Occupy Columbus 10/10/11 Columbus Day at the Statehouse
Photos from Oct. 10 event
Oct 10 event
The death of Jerry Doyle
On the day a new generation of activists “occupy” Columbus by camping out at the Ohio Statehouse, the Free Press mourns the loss of an older activist who was a one-man occupation, Jerry Doyle. Some of us met him as he set up daily “occupation” on Nelson Road in front of a nursing home holding two signs simply stating “There’s Danger Here” and “God Knows.” By sheer force of will, he shut down the nursing home where he used to work, where he had witnessed an elderly person being beaten and abused.
At the Free Press, we were used to his calls and messages which always began the same: “Nobody important, just the Doyle boy.” His “Plantation News” newsletter was a legendary muck-raking publication that exposed such an accurate truth about corruption in Columbus it often got him arrested.
Free Press Editor once represented Doyle on sentencing and appeal after the Columbus Board of Education had him arrested for “trespassing at the podium” at a School Board meeting. Of course, Doyle had the necessary speaker’s slip to speak at the podium that day, but the School Board decided to change the rules on the spot, and have him arrested.
At the Free Press, we were used to his calls and messages which always began the same: “Nobody important, just the Doyle boy.” His “Plantation News” newsletter was a legendary muck-raking publication that exposed such an accurate truth about corruption in Columbus it often got him arrested.
Free Press Editor once represented Doyle on sentencing and appeal after the Columbus Board of Education had him arrested for “trespassing at the podium” at a School Board meeting. Of course, Doyle had the necessary speaker’s slip to speak at the podium that day, but the School Board decided to change the rules on the spot, and have him arrested.
Ohioans say no to voter suppression
On September 29 workers with the huge We Are Ohio coalition turned in 318,460 signatures on referendum petitions to place HR 194, Ohio’s voter suppression bill, on the November ballot. Ohio requires 3% of the number voting in the previous election in 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties to sign referendum petitions to place the issue on the ballot. In this case 231,000 signatures were required. Not only did the coalition get more than enough signatures, the signatures obtained came from over 5% of Ohio voters in 68 of Ohio’s counties. The coalition will still have another two weeks to continue getting signatures in order to supplement the total turned in.
Concerned citizens and faculty ask state to investigate mismanagement of Wilberforce University
The board of trustees at Wilberforce, the nation’s oldest private,
historically Black university are the focus of a case accusing them of mismanagement of resources, conflicts-of-interest, and gross negligence.
On behalf of the Wilberforce Faculty Association and Concerned Citizens of Greene County, attorneys Bob Fitrakis and Connie Gadell-Newton filed the case with the Ohio Attorney General last week.
The board of trustees has failed to include faculty, staff, and students in decisions affecting the university, said participants at the press conference last week where Fitrakis and Gadell-Newton formally announced the case.
“Communication could definitely be a lot better. We filed approximately 12 grievances without any replies or responses,” said Everett Jones, Professor of Piano, and secretary of the Wilberforce Faculty Association.
“In a collectively governing body such as a university with faculty, staff, students, and administration, along with upper administration, everyone has to work together for there to be success,” Jones said.
Wilberforce Professor of Religion and Philosophy, Daniel Iselaiye said the same thing.
The board of trustees has failed to include faculty, staff, and students in decisions affecting the university, said participants at the press conference last week where Fitrakis and Gadell-Newton formally announced the case.
“Communication could definitely be a lot better. We filed approximately 12 grievances without any replies or responses,” said Everett Jones, Professor of Piano, and secretary of the Wilberforce Faculty Association.
“In a collectively governing body such as a university with faculty, staff, students, and administration, along with upper administration, everyone has to work together for there to be success,” Jones said.
Wilberforce Professor of Religion and Philosophy, Daniel Iselaiye said the same thing.
Local activist Chuck Lynd on techno-fixes, corporate power, and movement building
Those in the peak oil, deep ecology and anarcho-primitivism movements say we can't use technology to solve our environmental crises. Local activist Chuck Lynd disagrees.
“I believe in what E.F. Schumacher called ‘appropriate technology' ...That’s true in agriculture, in industry, and in high technology. We’re creative and innovative. We just need to apply it in healthy, sustainable ways.”
But the fossil and fissile fuel industry is getting in the way of that, said Lynd, during a protest against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project during Obama's visit to Columbus on Sept 12.
“We can move now to solar, wind, and geothermal energy. There are technologies that are just in the waiting. We just have policies that support and subsidize what Harvey Wasserman calls King CONG---coal, oil, nuclear, and (natural) gas.”
Ohio State University becoming less public?
Rachel Radina is a graduate student working w/ Miami University Defend Ohio
“We’re concerned about the push to privatize our public universities in Ohio. Chancellor (Jim ) Petro put out a report last week or a plan to create charter-- or what they’re calling ‘enterprise universities’, ” said Radina.
She said universities would get less state funding in exchange for less regulations from the state. She said this would hurt economically vulnerable people.
“So they (Ohio Board of Regents) would have the ability to increase tuition and increase class size. That means less quality education. But it’s going to cost more money. So it’s kind of like a backdoor tax on Ohio families,” Radina said.
She said universities would get less state funding in exchange for less regulations from the state. She said this would hurt economically vulnerable people.
“So they (Ohio Board of Regents) would have the ability to increase tuition and increase class size. That means less quality education. But it’s going to cost more money. So it’s kind of like a backdoor tax on Ohio families,” Radina said.
Trumka helps launch Ohio repeal campaign
While an overused description, yesterday’s meeting of over 700 unionists at the Pipefitter’s Union Hall in Columbus, Ohio certainly qualifies as an historic gathering. Even in the sweltering heat, the huge, enthusiastic crowd poured into the union hall to hear Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga, national AFL-CIO Rich Trumka and others lay out, in detail, the wide program of mobilization organized labor and its allies intend to put into effect to win repeal of SB 5, the Republican sponsored bill that would end bargaining rights for public workers in that state.
Burga broke from his prepared speech opening the event to tell the cheering, chanting crowd that “it’s official, we’ve been certified! 915,000 signatures, the most on a referendum in the history of our state, have been validated to place the recall of SB 5 on the November ballot!”
Burga went on, with a blistering attack on the current Kasich administration in Ohio and corporate politicians nationally.
Burga broke from his prepared speech opening the event to tell the cheering, chanting crowd that “it’s official, we’ve been certified! 915,000 signatures, the most on a referendum in the history of our state, have been validated to place the recall of SB 5 on the November ballot!”
Burga went on, with a blistering attack on the current Kasich administration in Ohio and corporate politicians nationally.
Just ban them! (at least in Columbus)
Columbus could soon join the growing list of cities, states and countries banning non-biodegradable, single-use plastic bags. A citizens’ initiative is now underway and gathering signatures to present to Columbus City Council along with a petition requesting a ban in Columbus.
Voting rights activists fight back against new Republican Jim Crow attack in Ohio
Another progressive coalition is seeking to repeal a new reactionary Republican election law in Ohio that targets black, elderly and poor voters.
The unions are once again the backbone of a campaign joined by various voting rights advocates to repeal Ohio House Bill 194, signed into law on July 5, 2011. The repeal coalition calls itself "Fair Election Ohio" and submitted the required 1000 signatures necessary for starting the repeal process on July 18.
Under Ohio law, approximately 232,000 valid voter signatures are needed to put a repeal issue on the ballot. A similar coalition gathered more than 800,000 valid signatures to repeal Ohio's anti-union Senate Bill 5. The Fair Election Ohio coalition is awaiting certification of its petition language by the current secretary of state. If certified, it has until September 30, 2011 to gather the additional 231,000 signatures to put the repeal on the ballot in 2012. Valid signatures by September 30 will put the law on hold until after the 2012 presidential election, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The unions are once again the backbone of a campaign joined by various voting rights advocates to repeal Ohio House Bill 194, signed into law on July 5, 2011. The repeal coalition calls itself "Fair Election Ohio" and submitted the required 1000 signatures necessary for starting the repeal process on July 18.
Under Ohio law, approximately 232,000 valid voter signatures are needed to put a repeal issue on the ballot. A similar coalition gathered more than 800,000 valid signatures to repeal Ohio's anti-union Senate Bill 5. The Fair Election Ohio coalition is awaiting certification of its petition language by the current secretary of state. If certified, it has until September 30, 2011 to gather the additional 231,000 signatures to put the repeal on the ballot in 2012. Valid signatures by September 30 will put the law on hold until after the 2012 presidential election, according to the Columbus Dispatch.