Ohioan Vivek Ramaswamy just announced his candidacy for President of the United States of America.  He was raised in Cincinnati and graduated from St. Xavier High School in 2003. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivek_Ramaswamy

7 hours ago, Lazarus said:

Ohioan Vivek Ramaswamy just announced his candidacy for President of the United States of America.  He was raised in Cincinnati and graduated from St. Xavier High School in 2003. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivek_Ramaswamy

 

The second American of Indian ancestry to declare, both Republicans.   Harris also for the Dems.   Probably angling for a cabinet spot.

 

Ironically, he announced on Fox last night.  Chris Sununu (NH governor) was on earlier.   He did not announce but I like what he had to say and consider him a good option.

Flat tax proposals steal from the poor and middle class (by decreasing services) in order to give to the rich.

 

46 minutes ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

Flat tax proposals steal from the poor and middle class (by decreasing services) in order to give to the rich.

 

This table does an excellent job of showing exactly why this proposal is a handout to the rich. Sounds like this proposal would 'defund the police'

Edited February 23, 20232 yr by 10albersa

Ohio transportation budget passed out of committed to the full House for consideration. It features $1B for highways where very few people live, and $211M for public transit where the overwhelming majority of Ohio residents do live. Ohio government continuing to have very screwed up priorities. 
 

 

“But four Democrats on the committee voted against the bill. Sweeney said they are concerned about the $1 billion Rural Highway Fund and hopes there will be support for changes down the road.

“I want to be supportive of that fund, but making sure that the eight counties that are excluded from that are also getting their funding appropriately and that those projects can also move forward and some projects are not double dipping in both funds," Sweeney said.

The transportation budget also includes $211 million for public transit.”

In light of the “Backpack Bill” proposals, let’s dust off this campaign. 

Relaxed Child Labor Laws Advance in Ohio Legislature

 

Ohio senators who supported a bill extending the hours 14 and 15-year-olds can work during the school year say remedying the workforce shortage won’t come with increased risks to children.

 

“Nobody in this chamber would ever do anything to endanger our children here,” said state Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland. “I hope we all would stipulate to that.”

 

The chamber passed Senate Bill 30 in a 25-7 party-line vote this week, moving the bill to the Ohio House for consideration next.

 

The bill would push back eligible hours for children aged 14 and 15 to work from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the school year. In current law, that age group can only work that late during summer months.

 

“This is less time that they will be spending on social media, like Tik Tok and others,” Cirino said.

 

More below:

https://columbusunderground.com/relaxed-child-labor-laws-advance-in-ohio-legislature-ocj1/

 

Yeah they'll be on social media at their jobs since companies don't want to fire people for little stuff like that anymore.

I hope this gets traction. 

 

1 hour ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

I hope this gets traction. 

 

Seems long overdue for the fiscal-responsibility pro-life party to get behind this issue.  

 

 

Ohio's decaying democracy is exacerbating corruption and further eroding democracy. Vicious cycle...

 

 

Ohio Lawmakers Propose Ending Death Penalty

 

A group of Ohio lawmakers is again trying to kill the death penalty. As she has since 2011, Sen. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, on Tuesday announced that she and some colleagues were introducing legislation abolishing it. 

 

It might seem like a shot in the dark. But amid exonerations and shifting sentiment about the ultimate punishment, Antonio seemed to believe that this year’s version has a better shot than ever.

 

“We’ve seen an increase in support and in bipartisan sponsorship,” she said in a press conference at the Capitol. “I believe that it is indeed time in Ohio to take the pragmatic, economically prudent, principled step to end capital punishment, which has been found to be expensive, imprudent, impractical, unjust, inhumane and in the past, even erroneous.”

 

Joining Antonio on the stage were Sens. Michele Reynolds, R-Canal Winchester, Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus, and Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City.

 

More below:

https://columbusunderground.com/ohio-lawmakers-propose-ending-death-penalty-ocj1/

 

Nice to see the local media nail the lede:

 

Let’s remember that it has taken hard work to expand voting rights. We shouldn’t give it away to the power-hungry, enabled-via-gerrymandering extremists that dominate Ohio politics. 

 

Where are the protests? Ohioans should be furious over this!

 

 

 

On 3/30/2023 at 11:38 AM, KJP said:

Where are the protests? Ohioans should be furious over this!

 

 

 

Because enough people are starting to realize that a Constitution that can be changed by a simple majority vote isn't really a Constitution.

13 minutes ago, E Rocc said:

 

Because enough people are starting to realize that a Constitution that can be changed by a simple majority vote isn't really a Constitution.

Counterpoint: yes, it is. Democracy rules!

1 hour ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

Counterpoint: yes, it is. Democracy rules!

 

The power of the federal Constitution is it is so difficult to amend.   That is what puts teeth in court rulings.

 

In cases like DeRolph or redistricting, everyone knows that if it gets too onerous it can be tossed aside.

11 hours ago, E Rocc said:

 

Because enough people are starting to realize that a Constitution that can be changed by a simple majority vote isn't really a Constitution.

 

9 hours ago, E Rocc said:

 

The power of the federal Constitution is it is so difficult to amend.   That is what puts teeth in court rulings.

 

In cases like DeRolph or redistricting, everyone knows that if it gets too onerous it can be tossed aside.

 

The fact that the Ohio Constitution can't be printed out and read by the average citizen is something that really bugs me.  Too much that should be legislation has been incorporated into the state constitution. 

 

But as much as I'd like to see a simpler constitution replace it, given the current minority rule by gerrymander, executive and legislative polices of ignoring the judiciary on such things as DeRolph and redistricting (and the public when public opinion is inconvenient), I would not trust our legislators to craft a constitution that would reflect the will of the people of this state. 

Ugh

 

 

On 4/2/2023 at 10:44 AM, E Rocc said:

 

Because enough people are starting to realize that a Constitution that can be changed by a simple majority vote isn't really a Constitution.

 

And thank heavens we don't have a national referendum process ala England or Switzerland.  

 

 

14 hours ago, Lazarus said:

 

And thank heavens we don't have a national referendum process ala England or Switzerland.  

 

 

 

We're way too diverse of a nation to do something like that.

2 hours ago, E Rocc said:

 

We're way too diverse of a nation to do something like that.

 

A big problem with ballot issues is that they can be lobbed on the ballot to influence other issues or individual campaigns by getting specific constituencies to show up in unusually large numbers.   This happens at the state level all of the time to try to tilt the electorate one way or the other during presidential election years.  Now imagine this at the national level.  

 

 

1 hour ago, Lazarus said:

 

A big problem with ballot issues is that they can be lobbed on the ballot to influence other issues or individual campaigns by getting specific constituencies to show up in unusually large numbers.   This happens at the state level all of the time to try to tilt the electorate one way or the other during presidential election years.  Now imagine this at the national level.  

 

 

Yes, getting people to show up at the polls would be a major blow to our democracy.

3 hours ago, E Rocc said:

 

We're way too diverse of a nation to do something like that.

Voting no longer works once a population hits a certain level of diversity.  How does one even count the votes of people who are poor, or minority?  And how do you figure 50.1% when some of the voters were non Christian?  Best we eliminate voting all together, since lots of voters aren't like us!

They must be really afraid of the people, and they should be. When people vote, Republicans lose.

 

 

Ohio’s New Texting-While-Driving Law Goes into Effect This Week

 

Beginning on Tuesday (April 4) it’s a primary offense to use your phone while driving. That means law enforcement can pull drivers over for using their phone without any other pretext.

 

The measure carries several exceptions, including allowances for hands-free operation, but Ohio Department of Transportation guidance warns, “in most cases, anything more than a single touch or swipe is against the law.”

 

More below:

https://columbusunderground.com/ohios-new-texting-while-driving-law-goes-into-effect-this-week-ocj1/

 

 

 

It's a low-turnout special election, you know who wins those? The side that is more fired up. I don't think there's anyone on the 60% side that is fired up. This will end up being an embarrassing loss for them anyway.

1 hour ago, 10albersa said:

It's a low-turnout special election, you know who wins those? The side that is more fired up. I don't think there's anyone on the 60% side that is fired up. This will end up being an embarrassing loss for them anyway.

I agree completely. It is super important that we get out and vote, but it is highly unlikely that this 60% threshold amendment will pass. Obviously it’s still nerve-wracking that it’s even on the ballot. Ohioans are ANGRY about all this nonsense. 

I'm not so sure. I've seen enough people think out loud that it "makes sense" that changing the constitution would be more difficult. The infuriating and hypocritical part of course is that it will take just 50%+1 votes to make all future votes require 60%.

I hate to sound confident, but you'll have the abortion and fair maps people make huge grassroots pushes (maybe even legal weed advocates).  To me, those organizations will easily get this voted down.  The Republicans don't have as visceral an argument, it's just "let's make it harder for special interests to change laws." That's not going to bring Yes voters out in droves like the other two will for No votes.

36 minutes ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

Ohioans are ANGRY about all this nonsense. 

 

People on the internet are angry.  Nobody out in the real world has any idea this is happening or cares.  I have heard exactly one conversation between people regarding the stiffer abortion laws, and it's been upwards of a year.  It was more than a month after it passes or maybe two months and was between two college-aged girls.  I mean, if college-aged girls (one of whom I know was in college) don't know the law changed, it's just not as big of an issue as the bullhorn people want to believe it is.  

 

 

 

20 minutes ago, Lazarus said:

 

People on the internet are angry.  Nobody out in the real world has any idea this is happening or cares.  I have heard exactly one conversation between people regarding the stiffer abortion laws, and it's been upwards of a year.  It was more than a month after it passes or maybe two months and was between two college-aged girls.  I mean, if college-aged girls (one of whom I know was in college) don't know the law changed, it's just not as big of an issue as the bullhorn people want to believe it is.  

 

 

 

 

{People on the internet} and {people out in the world} is a Venn diagram that approaches a circle in 2023 in the first world.  I think people are less likely to discuss politics in public mixed company, especially because it is so heated right now.

1 hour ago, Lazarus said:

 

People on the internet are angry.  Nobody out in the real world has any idea this is happening or cares.  I have heard exactly one conversation between people regarding the stiffer abortion laws, and it's been upwards of a year.  It was more than a month after it passes or maybe two months and was between two college-aged girls.  I mean, if college-aged girls (one of whom I know was in college) don't know the law changed, it's just not as big of an issue as the bullhorn people want to believe it is.  

Democrats are winning elections that historical precedent would have favored Republicans in because of the Dobbs decision. If you think that people aren’t livid about this, it’s because they know you well enough to not talk about it with you. The anti-gerrymandering efforts are ALSO dependent on this amendment not passing - another motivated group. (One of the anti-gerrymandering amendments got over 70% of the Ohio vote, the other was in the high 60s.) And I hadn’t even thought about weed legalization, but that was also a great point from @10albersa

 

Just to be clear, Jake, I’m normally with you on the “Twitter isn’t real life” mentality. But this situation is clearly different and there is overwhelming evidence and a bunch of election results to back that up.

53 minutes ago, X said:

 

{People on the internet} and {people out in the world} is a Venn diagram that approaches a circle in 2023 in the first world.  I think people are less likely to discuss politics in public mixed company, especially because it is so heated right now.

Bingo

1 hour ago, 10albersa said:

I hate to sound confident, but you'll have the abortion and fair maps people make huge grassroots pushes (maybe even legal weed advocates).  To me, those organizations will easily get this voted down.  The Republicans don't have as visceral an argument, it's just "let's make it harder for special interests to change laws." That's not going to bring Yes voters out in droves like the other two will for No votes.

I think this is about right. Too many special interests groups are going to oppose this. While I think it's possible that people just showing up to vote might actually prefer the amendment from a purely "this makes sense" perspective. They will be overruled by the many people who will see this as the death knell of their preferred issue. 

 

1 hour ago, X said:

 

{People on the internet} and {people out in the world} is a Venn diagram that approaches a circle in 2023 in the first world.  I think people are less likely to discuss politics in public mixed company, especially because it is so heated right now.

While just about everyone has access to the internet, most people aren't terminally online. While it's sometimes hard to believe, most people really don't follow politics. Outage has to get very loud before these people hear it, and even when it does they won't take the time to understand the issue, they'll just root for their team. 

 

All that said, I'd be shocked if this amendment passed. 

9 minutes ago, Ethan said:

I think this is about right. Too many special interests groups are going to oppose this. While I think it's possible that people just showing up to vote might actually prefer the amendment from a purely "this makes sense" perspective. They will be overruled by the many people who will see this as the death knell of their preferred issue. 

 

While just about everyone has access to the internet, most people aren't terminally online. While it's sometimes hard to believe, most people really don't follow politics. Outage has to get very loud before these people hear it, and even when it does they won't take the time to understand the issue, they'll just root for their team. 

 

All that said, I'd be shocked if this amendment passed. 

“Special interest groups” is an interesting way to characterize Ohioans who care about preserving fundamental human rights and desire protection from gerrymandering. Both of these initiatives have overwhelming public support, which to me is the exact opposite of a “special interest group”.

10 minutes ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

“Special interest groups” is an interesting way to characterize Ohioans who care about preserving fundamental human rights and desire protection from gerrymandering. Both of these initiatives have overwhelming public support, which to me is the exact opposite of a “special interest group”.

You're reading WAY too far into my statement. I was just looking for a neutral term so I could speak in generalities... No judgement on the merits was stated or implied. 

1 hour ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

If you think that people aren’t livid about this, it’s because they know you well enough to not talk about it with you.

 

I don't think that's true.  I don't think that most people care about abortion legalization, one way or the other.  The need for access to legal abortions is a once-in-a-lifetime concern (maybe), whereas a lack of access to toilet paper in 2020 was of immediate and widespread concern.  

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Lazarus said:

 

I don't think that's true.  I don't think that most people care about abortion legalization, one way or the other.  The need for access to legal abortions is a once-in-a-lifetime concern (maybe), whereas a lack of access to toilet paper in 2020 was of immediate and widespread concern.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tell me you don't talk to many women without telling me you don't talk to many women.

Don't respond here. Go to Twitter and please comment there...unless you're responding to what DeWitt has to say.

 

3 hours ago, KJP said:

 

 

Anyone who has contacts in the Ohio democratic party machine needs to be helping them out and bugging them about what they will do about this. Sadly, the Ohio democratic party has been pretty inept in recent years. Even on an August ballot, this measure should be very defeatable. But we need to mobilize voters.

When acting helpless is a strategy 

 

 

Frank LaRose is garbage and leaving the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) is a terrible decision.

 

I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn the political party of this person who committed voter fraud.

 

“James Dalton Saunders, a 57-year-old attorney, voted in both Ohio and Florida in the 2020 and 2022 general elections, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.

News 5 found Saunders is registered to vote in both Ohio and Florida. According to the state records and federal elections filings, he is a longtime Republican. He has donated more than $3,000 over the past decade to GOP candidates and PACs, including Donald Trump.

Sec. of State Frank LaRose confirmed he was flagged by the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a leading national source for making sure citizens aren't voting in multiple states.”

They're in the wrong millennium 

 

 

Ohio House of Reps version of the 60% threshold for amendments bill is still stuck in committee (a good thing). We’re getting closer to the deadline. It’s possible that they may not approve it in time, meaning there would be no special election in August. We’ll see how it plays out. LaRose has said the deadline is May 10, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s a “soft” deadline.