From the monthly archives: November 2011
If you’re wondering why it’s suddenly gotten colder in Ohio, it’s not the approach of winter. Hell has frozen over. Yesterday, Governor John Kasich admitted that he has largely abandoned an unpopular plan, specifically, his plan to privatize (in part or full, we never really could tell) the Bureau of Workers Compensation. Back in April, Kamp Kasich was proudly boasting that the legislature would take up workers compensation privatization sometime this fall. It was part of a media relations strategy to show that Kasich’s agenda was moving forward undeterred by talk of a referendum on SB 5 and [...]
Full Story... →We published a few articles about House Bill 136 (commonly referred to as the School Voucher Bill) over the past few months, but nothing since the end of September when the bill was passed by the House Education Committee. At that time, we published data that detailed the effects of the implementation of HB 136 on every school district in Ohio. That list was eye-opening to many people across the state because of the negative effects it highlighted. That list, it seems, was also wrong.
House Bill 136 is more damaging than we initially [...]
Full Story... →The ORP has a pretty neat tool that allows anyone to put an “idea in action”. They call it “The Townhall” and they probably didn’t plan on the most popular idea being for them to slow down their train and stop attacking workers and heading more and more to the right.
I have been a proud member of the Republican party since 1972. I have faithfully voted Republican in every local and national election. I have even given money, even though in small amounts I STILL GAVE TO THE GOP. I have served 4 years in [...]
Full Story... →[crossposted from Ohio Budget Watch]
Now that Issue 2 has failed and collective bargaining reform — championed by Governor Kasich — is dead, many are asking what it means for state and local budgets.
Local governments have been shrugging it off, planning to cope with reduced tax collections and Kasich budget cuts the same way they always have – by demanding concessions through the collective bargaining process, rationalizing services, and seeking additional revenue where the voters will support it. They aren’t bemoaning the failure of Issue 2, because they never believed it would be much of a tool. Check out these [...]
Full Story... →The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Brent Larkin, apparently, is a John Kasich fanboy, who is quick to dismiss the nearly ‘06 Ken Blackwellian beating Kasich’s Issue 2 took in the polls last week. And he’s utterly convinced that Kasich’s agenda isn’t unpopular, just that Kasich personally is:
On many major issues of the day, Kasich still has the right message. Big problems, which Ohio has, require bold solutions.
Boldness doesn’t scare Kasich the way it has scared most Ohio governors.
So if it’s not the message, it must be the messenger.
Whaaat?!? Logical syllogism fail. Look, there are other [...]
Full Story... →In the wake of the defeat of Issue 2, The Columbus Dispatch surged ahead in Ohio’s competition for the state’s worst newspaper. Those of you in Cleveland and Cincinnati must surely concede that the Central Ohio newspaper has established itself firmly in first place courtesy of their editorial board’s phenomenally absurd, defensive, and bitter writing this week.
To recap, voters in Ohio soundly turned back Issue 2 by a wide margin on Tuesday, with the current count reported by the Secretary of State as:
Back in February, the Dispatch reported that Senate Bill 5 would [...]
Full Story... →Friday was Veterans Day and Ohio Auditor Dave Yost and his staff thought it might be a good excuse to do a little campaigning with a Veterans Day post on his campaign website and an email to his supporters.
It didn’t go exactly as planned.
While we certainly do have our share of typos around here at Plunderbund, we have yet to send out an email to everyone on our mailing list accidentally calling US service members “superhoes”.
Full Story... →Hey, gang, remember how all during the Issue 2 Speaker Batchelder, Senate President Niehaus, and Senate Commerce, Insurance and Labor Chairman Kevin Bacon kept saying that even if Issue 2 failed, they’d still likely revisit the issue and at least try to pass portions of SB 5 in a piecemeal fashion? Yeah, it’s amazing what a ’06 Ken Blackwell-like statewide butt-kicking can do to your legislative plans because both Batchelder and Niehaus have now publicly disavowed any intention of revisiting SB 5 at all. They concede that some of their members may introduce legislation that incorporates provisions of SB 5, [...]
Full Story... →A few weeks ago, we shared with you a report published by The Buckeye Institute entitled Defending Liberty in Ohio: A Roadmap for Protecting Freedom and Limiting Government with the State Constitution. The report was published in conjunction with the Institute’s creation of the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, and was attributed solely to the 1851 Center’s newly hired director, Maurice A. Thompson. At the time, we didn’t discuss Mr. Thompson specifically, but that was nearly 3 weeks ago and things have changed. In a very big way.
Today, Maurice Thompson spoke at a press conference announcing the 1851 Center’s intentions to place a constitutional amendment [...]
Full Story... →Or, in other news: “Tea Party guarantees Ohio goes for Obama, Brown and Democrats in 2012.”
Fresh off the defeat of Issue 2, the ohio Tea Party movement and the anti-labor business group, Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio, are announcing today that they are pushing to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to turn Ohio into a “Right-to-Work” State.
From the Columbus Dispatch:
Despite those facts, and the notion that President Barack Obama, who has already latched onto Issue 2’s defeat and would count on labor’s support to win Ohio next year in his re-election bid, [...]
Full Story... →On November 3, 2010, while basking in the glow of his narrow victory (with less than a majority of votes – 49.04%) over Ted Strickland, Governor-elect John Kasich felt the need to specifically address teachers unions during a press conference. In typical Kasich style, he went unscripted and talked about how he was going to create jobs, kill the high-speed rail project, and get dollars into classrooms. Then, without provocation, Kasich lashed out with a very direct ultimatum:
“I am waiting for the teachers union to take out full-page ads in all of the [major] newspapers apologizing for what [...]
Full Story... →Budget Watch
