This week I went to the polls where I collected signatures for the Ohio Healthcare Freedom Amendment. While I was there, there were other people collecting signatures for the repeal of SB. 5. The presence of the other petitioners was somewhat helpful to us and vice versa, because some people who were held up signing the other petition would have walked away while I getting someone else to sign. One of the anti-SB. 5 guys was even handing out gospel tracts.
A few of the voters didn't want to sign any petitions--they did not even want to hear an explanation of what the petitions were about.
On the other hand, some people signed both petitions, without hardly even a decent explanation of it. You just have to say "we just want to get this on the ballot so that the voters can decide", and they sign. (What if it was about putting Jews in concentration camps? "We just want to get it on the ballot"???!!!) Dumb.
There were a few who signed mine, but not the SB. 5 repeal, but I think that there were a lot more who signed it than mine. This is particularly disturbing considering that this was in a very conservative area. I am getting a sense that, rightly or wrongly, a lot of policemen, firefighters, and teachers are angry at the Republicans for enacting this SB. 5. I've got a bad feeling that the Republicans are going take a beating in Ohio, Wisconsin, and other midwest states in 2012. Not that a Republican sweep would necessarily be the best thing for this country (that would depend on who they nominate), but retaining the Presidency and large gains for the Democrats at all levels of government might just finish us off as a nation.
As for the SB. 5 bill itself, I am still undecided and I tend to think it is not the end of world either if it is repealed or not. But I have not read the bill, but have only glanced at it. Just reading the bill does not mean anything, though because its full of statements about repealing, editing, or adding in words or short phrases to the Ohio Revised Code. You can't really see what it is about unless you read the portion of the Ohio Revised Code before and after the change. I doubt that very many of either the supporters or opposition to the repeal have done that. I think that, like a lot of other issues, both sides are exaggerating the effects of this bill. When I was asked if I would sign, I simply responded that I couldn't because I hadn't read the bill. With the Ohio Healthcare Freedom Amendment, it is different because you can read what will be added to the state constitution right on the petition (and it is not very long). One petitioner for the repeal of SB. 5 told me that the bill would encourage jobs to be filled by out of state workers. (Well, if it somehow shows favoritism to them, then yeah, I get your point, but if it treats out of state and in state applicants the same, then what's the problem?) I have heard that SB. 5 gets rid of some statewide rules for collective bargaining, and gives more control to the local governments. If this is really all it is, and if the local governments can still have the choice of whether or not to have collecting bargaining and determine the rules for it, then I'm all for SB. 5. That is basically my position on the issue, let the people who are served by the public employees decide how they are paid, not people on the other side of the state.
A few of the voters didn't want to sign any petitions--they did not even want to hear an explanation of what the petitions were about.
On the other hand, some people signed both petitions, without hardly even a decent explanation of it. You just have to say "we just want to get this on the ballot so that the voters can decide", and they sign. (What if it was about putting Jews in concentration camps? "We just want to get it on the ballot"???!!!) Dumb.
There were a few who signed mine, but not the SB. 5 repeal, but I think that there were a lot more who signed it than mine. This is particularly disturbing considering that this was in a very conservative area. I am getting a sense that, rightly or wrongly, a lot of policemen, firefighters, and teachers are angry at the Republicans for enacting this SB. 5. I've got a bad feeling that the Republicans are going take a beating in Ohio, Wisconsin, and other midwest states in 2012. Not that a Republican sweep would necessarily be the best thing for this country (that would depend on who they nominate), but retaining the Presidency and large gains for the Democrats at all levels of government might just finish us off as a nation.
As for the SB. 5 bill itself, I am still undecided and I tend to think it is not the end of world either if it is repealed or not. But I have not read the bill, but have only glanced at it. Just reading the bill does not mean anything, though because its full of statements about repealing, editing, or adding in words or short phrases to the Ohio Revised Code. You can't really see what it is about unless you read the portion of the Ohio Revised Code before and after the change. I doubt that very many of either the supporters or opposition to the repeal have done that. I think that, like a lot of other issues, both sides are exaggerating the effects of this bill. When I was asked if I would sign, I simply responded that I couldn't because I hadn't read the bill. With the Ohio Healthcare Freedom Amendment, it is different because you can read what will be added to the state constitution right on the petition (and it is not very long). One petitioner for the repeal of SB. 5 told me that the bill would encourage jobs to be filled by out of state workers. (Well, if it somehow shows favoritism to them, then yeah, I get your point, but if it treats out of state and in state applicants the same, then what's the problem?) I have heard that SB. 5 gets rid of some statewide rules for collective bargaining, and gives more control to the local governments. If this is really all it is, and if the local governments can still have the choice of whether or not to have collecting bargaining and determine the rules for it, then I'm all for SB. 5. That is basically my position on the issue, let the people who are served by the public employees decide how they are paid, not people on the other side of the state.
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