Ohio – Page 4 – Doug's Views

May 2, 2015April 18, 2020

State Rep. Robert Sprague Tries To Use Ohio Budget To Stick It To Recovering Drug Addicts

State Rep. Robert Sprague, R-Findlay

State Rep. Robert Sprague, R-Findlay, is using the typical Ohio GOP trick of adding terrible legislation to the state budget so the nasty part can’t be repealed through a referendum. The terrible law he doesn’t want to expose to the ballot box? Extra rules on the placement of community drug addiction recovery homes. Which is ironic because addressing drug abuse is one of Sprague’s causes he trumpets in his press releases and through normally introduced legislation.

January 15, 2015April 18, 2020

Did Fiat’s Marchionne Ask For A Payoff To Keep Wrangler In Toledo?

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne

The Wrangler, the best selling nameplate for Jeep, which has been produced in Toledo Ohio for decades, might be produced elsewhere. Fiat Chrysler (FCA) owns Jeep and at the end of last year CEO Sergio Marchionne indicated that it might move Wrangler production due to changes in the model planned for 2017. On Monday, Marchionne pretty much asked for a payoff in order to keep the Wrangler in Toledo.

In his remarks at the 2015 Automotive News World Congress, in Detroit, Marchionne stated how FCA’s concern about keeping Wrangler production in Toledo could go away:

November 21, 2014April 18, 2020

Ohio GOP Rigs Vote To Pass Heartbeat Bill Out Of Committee

clipart showing a prohibited line through a coat hanger

In what seemed like deja vu, Republicans in the Ohio legislature rigged a committee vote on the anti-abortion law known as the Heartbeat Bill (House Bill 248). The GOP pulled a similar stunt back in 2011 in the Ohio Senate to pass out of committee Senate Bill 5 that attempted to strip collective bargaining from public employee unions.

October 9, 2014April 18, 2020

Lack Of Pre-Paid Postage On Absentee Ballot Is A De Facto Poll Tax

I got my absentee ballot this week for the coming general election in November. Checking out the document and filling it out reminded me of a point about the process I wanted to make. Although it’s great people in Ohio can vote absentee without a reason, the powers that be – namely the Republicans – don’t like absentee voting and put obstacles in the way. One obstacle – postage – can be seen as a de facto poll tax and is unfair to poor people.

Here is an image of my ballot return envelope:

September 28, 2014April 18, 2020

Jon Husted Made It Easier For Military To Vote But Obstructs African-Americans

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted aired his first campaign ad this week. The ad hypes a program that treats members of the military better than average Ohio citizens by bending over backwards so they can vote. The program is one reason Husted keeps loosing in Federal court as he keeps trying to obstruct voting for non-military Ohioans and especially African-Americans.