Ohio Legislature Lame Duck Session

I've gotten so busy trying to figure out how to get the interactive portion of this blog up and functioning, I've sort of forgotten about the local spin this blog is supposed to have. Let's fix that, shall we?

A few interesting things have come out of the Ohio Legislature's lame duck session this month. Normally, you'd hear "lame duck" applied to outgoing President Bush. It also applies in this case because, in theory at least, many of the people at the Statehouse will be leaving office after this month, making it a group of "lame ducks."

Three of these bills got the kebosh from Governor Strickland--a tax credit for film making, paying bonuses to recent war vets from the rainy day fund, and eliminating the "golden week" for voter registration/voting (where you can show up at a designated spot to register, and then vote at the same time).

Another bill sort of tries to address human trafficking, by making it a first degree felony to force people into prostitution. However, this is merely an ammendment to another bill, one that would force abortion clinics to display "No one can force you to have an abortion" signs. (Satire warning) I would hate to see the Ohio legislature do anything that didn't somehow advance a productive, conservative agenda.

A more useful bill is one that will allow Cuyahoga County to buy up some of the multitude of foreclosures they have and use them in a land bank to help neighborhoods recover. Good to see someone taking action on that, since the empty houses in Cleveland are now legendary.

And now there's one less legal way to get your buzz--or hallucinations--on. The Ohio legislature did in fact add salvia to the list of controlled substances, right along side heroine and marijuana.

Other interesting noise out of the Statehouse is all about the budget cuts: another 5.75% across the board, except for education, veterans aid, and prisons. This is starting to scare me. The governor is talking about federal aid and a lack of fat left in the budget. The Columbus Dispatch did a story not long ago about what some of these cuts could look like, and it's not a pretty picture.

It's not just state agencies that would feel the hurt, it's all the poor communities that rely on state grants and other funds to operate. What happens when counties can't pay their deputies, road crews, crime labs, prisons, and health departments because the money from Columbus has dried up?

Unless some of that half a trillion dollars I keep hearing about from the Obama transition team trickles down to states in the form of Medicaid, education, or public works help...we could start looking like a third world nation here in the "Heart of it All."

Corruption in Politics

So, as you're prolly aware by now, the Governor of Illinois was alledgedly planning on selling the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. The guy apparantly had legal bills, and who knows what other money troubles that made him consider selling out the democratic process. It's a pretty classic scenario...you get in over your head, and then decide the only way to get back out of the pit is to take a few roads you'd never otherwise consider.

At least, one would hope selling a Senate seat isn't on the first page of options for a state Governor.

However, you have to remember this is America. We have a long and colorful history of corrupt politicians. It's human nature...when you think you can make some extra cash, you do so. Especially when it's significant money and you don't think you can get caught. There are exceptions...but they really are exceptions. For every judge who gets bought off by Vito Corleone, there's a Russel Crowe who actually turns in the $1,000,000 in drug money he finds in the trunk of a car.

But at the same time...what do you think?? How rampant (or not) do you think corruption is today? Do you think that you can get a parking fine dropped by slipping the meter maid a $20? Did you ever watch some guy walk free from his fifth DUI? Watched a Congressman vote for the most irrational bill with weak backup?

E-mail me, leave a comment, give me a call or text...whatever. Let me know how corrupt you think our society really is, and I'll post the replies next Thursday. Till then...adios!

Mary Jo Kilroy Finally Wins Seat

So I'm a lil late to the game, but the 15th Ohio Congressional District has a Representative. Mary Jo Kilroy managed to win, by a margin of 2,311 votes. That's not much at all, when you consider the number of votes cast: 304,000.

It was enough to beat the automatic recount law, however. In a local, country, or district election the margin needs to be 1/2%. In any statewide race, the margin drops to 1/4%. I didn't know that! Thanks to the Moritz College of Law over at OSU for having such a clear post on the issue.

Stivers, in a truly classy move, conceded gracefully and without much comment. I'm quite pleased, because I see this as further indication of a new shift in politics. It seems like the partisan lines are blurring more and more. The electorate is coming together more, making it harder to get a clear winner. The voters in this past election are less interested in voting with their party, it seems. The concern is more about who will go to Washington and take care of their consituent.

Now THERE is a novel concept, hm?

I like liberal Republicans. I also like conservative Democrats. Because they aren't radicals...they're a lot closer to what I believe in. Hopefully this trend continues, eh?

Your Take: Ballot Initiatives

As promised, here's the recap from our favorite ballot issue poll! Thanks for everyone taking time to write out a response to last week's question.

Joe in Oxford, Ohio writes:

"I think I'm going to select Proposition 8 out in California. Although I'm baffled, surprised, and a little angry that marriage is now more specifically defined in yet another state, I think that at least it was a valid attempt. Plus, I think that referendum may have very far-reaching consequences. After all, if it can't pass in California, it starts to look like the issue as a whole will face an even more uphill battle in the future. However, the vote showed that not all preconceptions are true--obviously San Francisco is not representative of the entire state of California, fortunately or unfortunately."

Casey in Cincinnati, Ohio told me:

"I would have to say may favorite issue on the ballot was [Ohio] Issue 5, because it took me by surprise. I had no idea Payday loan places were able to charge 391%!! That is insane, and doesn't help our economy that already has people 10 feet under."

And finally Sarah from Columbus, Ohio sent in this note:

"The ballot initiative which stuck out in my mind was Ohio's Issue 6, involving the in-state casino. Ohioans have been voting 'No' on this issue for years and years. I knew as soon as I heard about it, before hearing any details, the issue would be shot down because Ohioans simply don't want a casino in their state.

The only way it would come close to passing is if there were a lot of strings attached and more than the usual share of casino revenue would be going back to the state. I personally voted for it because I see more benefits than drawbacks. More jobs, money staying in state. Crime wouldn't be much of a factor - look at the surrounding state's casinos for evidence of this.

The state confirmed my suspicions on November 4th, however, when they voted it down. I'm looking forward to next year when we get the chance to debate the issue further. Maybe the lawmakers will actually come up with something that sparkles this time."

Two things stuck out in my mind with this replies:

1. People learned things from the ballot initiative campaigns, as Casey points out about the 391% annual interest rate the pay day lenders were getting.
2. None of this is done, as both Joe and Sarah wrote. Democracy is never really finished unless it's killed by a military coup...so I take their comments as a good sign.

There you have it! Two state issues and an eye on the national scene. Two monetary issues and one social concern. I'm not a statistician, so I'm not sure what this tell us about the concerns of the voters (not that three is an acceptable sample of the Ohio population...), but it does make for interesting water cooler talk. I mean, anything but actually working, right?

My Take: Obama's Centrist Moves

As Obama stopped campaigning, and started getting down to the business of running the country (I mean, someone has to...) it's become somewhat obvious he's not quite the socialist, nationalizing commie he's been made out to be by the right wing.

Likewise, he's not quite the champion of the progressive movement who will bring peace and happiness to all, as the left wing has promised.

To me, that's a damned good thing. My rule of thumb is when the extreme ends of the spectrum are BOTH mad at you, you're smack dab where you want to be.

I've been watching the nominations and the leaks of nominations. I've listened to the news conferences, and the analysis of those conferences. And all this seems to be adding up to is the man is making some calculated steps in the direction of sound governance.

I know, it's been such a foreign concept for the last decade. While it's a little annoying ("What do you mean, he's not promising to shut down Gitmo by February???") it's also the sign of a mature mind. You can't argue very well against the desire to have something in place before knocking down the old regime.

Really, I think all we can expect from Obama right now is to set up a solid, well rounded team...and to tackle this pesky economic crisis. Really, that's all we should have on our minds right now, because unless our house is in order...we can't even think about landscaping the lawn.

I can wait for Gitmo to be closed. I can wait for education reform. I can wait for taxes to be made sensible again. I can wait for healthcare and social security to be worked out. Because you need the little things, before the bigger things. Obama seems to understand that very clearly, and is setting up people who think the same way.

And really, that's how a moderate works. That's how someone who thinks about the issues operates. So all in all, I feel quite good.

And that's more than enough rambling for this Tuesday. You folks have fun.

Ballot Initiatives

You're probably familiar with the concept of a ballot initiative, even if you don't realize it.

It's when a voter (or a group of voters) take their beef straight to the people. Like with the recent pay day lending issue...the pay day lenders decided they didn't want the legislature having the final say, and petitioned to put it on the ballot.

Why do these matter to you?

A) Because it's one of the few cases where you get to have a direct voice in the government.
B) These are laws that directly effect you.

There are a lot of people who will be upset when they can't just go take out a check express loan whenever they feel like it, and unfortunately I don't think many of those people voted on the issue. They lost their voice on their cash advance loans because they didn't vote.

It's also nice to think that my opinion counts, and I'm not relying on the judgement of some person who is going to vote the party line. (The judgement of the electorate is another question altogether).

So how do you get an initiative on the ballot?

Regulations differ from state to state as to how to get an initiative on the ballot. In fact, one of the ballot initiatives on my ballot this year was about new regulations for ballot initiatives (irony!).

Typically, you need to get enough signatures (number varies) on a petition to prove there's a need for this issue. Then you have to have them in by a certain date, to allow for verification of said signatures. Because not just any clown can be a signer...they have to be registered voters, and at least in Ohio, registered in the county your peitition is designated for.

That's why those people have like 90 clipboards, a petition for each county, just in case. Oh, and there's steps about the petition itself, to make sure it isn't TOO misleading...just go to the Secretary of State's webpage about ballot access to get the full story.

Anyhow, here's where the interactive part comes in. I'd like to hear from you about your favorite ballot initiative this year. Whether it's one you actually liked, or hated. Whether it was your own state, somewhere in the nation, or a city ordinance. I don't care, I just want to hear about a ballot initiative that struck your fancy.

E-mail me or comment on this post...I'll run a recap post with all your thoughts next week (appropriateness pending, of course).

Hope to hear from you!