Ohio: To Starve and Protect
No pork for dinner, but try it as a career path
Yet again we’re given a dramatic showing by Ohio Democratic Representatives at the State House as they all tried, and failed, to block the Republicans from pushing through an omnibus budget bill.
A budget is generally seen as a slightly partisan piece of legislation, as it can be used to fund or specifically avoid funding projects and departments as a part of a party’s agenda. However, here in Ohio we do it a little different. As always.
The representatives don’t limit the budget to being slightly partisan, but use it to explicitly legislate. Because omnibus bills do a little bit of everything, it’s more difficult to debate any specific part of them, and it’s almost impossible for the general public to assemble a coherent movement — let alone opinion — if representatives sneak something in.
Something like increasing public funding for vouchers. Why is the OH House GOP so obsessed with funding all forms of schooling besides public? Could it be that the majority of private schools are religious? Or maybe they think that Dissent Homeschool’s nazi curriculum is the right way to educate young people.
On top of that, the omnibus budget also removes funding for public school student meals and kicks a minimum salary protection for public school teachers to the curb. It also lowers the age requirement for students to enter the police academy from 21 to 18. Because too many fully grown adults refuse to enlist, they need to resort to enticing kids fresh out of high school.
In one fell swoop, they chose to take the food out of poor kids’ mouths so that a couple of them will learn the correct way to goose-step.
Further, the GOP wants to reduce food bank funding, even in the face of increasing need. According to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ State of Hunger in Ohio 2022, foodbank need is at a five-year high, and the GOP wants to take that avenue away. Even for those who need it, the GOP is increasing red tape and claiming to fight fraud, but all they’re doing is making it harder for the poor to get the basic help they need and deserve.
I mean, it took six years, $61 million, and a billion dollar bailout before Householder was thrown in prison — but I’m sure the single mother working two jobs to make ends meet is the real criminal mastermind.
And of course, the OH GOP didn’t forget to cut taxes. For businesses. Again. Clearly they doesn’t want a functioning OH; they want us to be starved, policed workhorses for whichever business we can convince to enslave us.
It shouldn’t have to be said — but we can’t let that happen. Ohio needs collective action, organization, and bottom-up political change. We need people to show up and sign petitions to protect the medical rights of Ohioans to abortion, to increase public control over public funds like in Cleveland, and vote against decreasing citizen control over the Ohio Constitution.
Find local organizations worth your time, effort, and money. It’s time for change.
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