It appears that the state of Ohio:
- largely because the "organized,"elected legislative official driven Ohio Republican Party has:
- "stacked-the-deck" thereby giving Ohio's rural areas a disproportionate place of "control" in Ohio legislative government,
- by virtue of "gerrymandering" and consequently Ohio
As readers of The Stark County Political Report (SCPR, The Report) know, this blogger celebrates citizens who possess:
- "strength of mind,"
- a passionate sense of "right and wrong," and the
- "courage of their convictions"
- and, are thereby able to provoke a discussion of "politically incorrect" points of view in which:
- the majority seeks to shut down the minority, but which
- the minority is having none of!
Such (Rural vs. Urban) is what The Report thinks Ohio House Speaker Ryan Smith (a 45 year old Republican) of Bidwell, Gallia County, Ohio
- NOTE: SMITH IS OPPOSED FOR SPEAKER IN THE 133RD OGA BY LARRY HOUSEHOLD (A FORMER SPEAKER - 2001/2004
- is what it appears the Ohio House/Senate Republican caucuses have set up in the Ohio General Assembly and put in place in both House and Senate through the mechanism of "gerrymandering." by which they have created a "supermajority"
- which means that there is the very real potential that the OGA can and has attempted to
- override a Republican governor on such things as
- "Right-to-Work,"
- "Stand Your Ground," and the
- Heartbeat Bill (a severe curtailing of a woman's right under USSC decision Roe v. Wade (1973) to exercise control over her body; recently passed in the House and co-sponsored by Stark County lame duck legislator (the 50th) Christina Hagan of Marlboro Township.
Likely, because of Republican "supermajority" control, Ohio suffers in state rankings as among the 50.
More particularly Ohio's urban areas (locally: Stark County, Ohio's eighth largest county) especially suffer in terms of:
- less than "one person, one vote" (via gerrymandering) in that many Republican representatives think they only have to provide access to only those who agree with them,
- a much larger impact of the Kasich/Republican 2010 move to dramatically cut (eliminate as in case of Ohio's Estate Tax) "local government funding,
- the imposing of "unfunded mandates,"
- empowering via legislation or lack of oversight "for profit" charter schools to drain off millions upon millions of dollars from local public education, and
- having imposed on "in difficult straits" urban school districts, State of Ohio takeover
to name a few.
Most Democrats in the Ohio House/Senate appear to be unwilling to step out and challenge publicly and vociferously what clearly be a Legislature case of "the tail wagging the dog" in the context of rural control of the OGA.
For sure Republicans
- even Stark County's (i.e. falling in line with the Speaker's wishes)
- Kirk Schuring (Ohio House 48th, Senator-elect the 29th Ohio Senate District), and
- Scott Oelslager (Ohio Senate 29th, state Representative-elect the 48th Ohio House District)
have instituted a political/government control strategy of having a lesser number of Ohioans (i.e. rural areas) control the greater number (urban areas) which some think have racial overtones.
Senator-elect Schuring and his fellow partisans ought to read and learn from Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts this passage:
Once [Jeb Magruder] was in the White House, he went along with all of the small ethical compromises that just about all politicians justify in the goal of serving their party.
Tavris, Caroll. Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts (p. 46). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.From the same book deals with "cognitive dissonance," which this blogger thinks is a essential quality for one to be a successful politician, to wit:
Democrats will endorse an extremely restrictive welfare proposal, one usually associated with Republicans, if they think it has been proposed by the Democratic Party, and Republicans will support a generous welfare policy if they think it comes from the Republican Party.So it is with Schuring and colleagues who certainly know better standing by in obvious self-justification while Speaker Smith trashes the U.S./Ohio Constitutions.
On November 14th, in the debate? on HB 228 (Stand Your Ground), Speaker Smith cut off state Rep. Howse and apparently Kirk Schuring stood by and did nothing.
Talk about a contrast to Smith's, take a look at Howse's district:
The SCPR shutters to think that there are actual state representatives/senators who are motivated in their legislative work to favor principally white House/Senate districts over heavily black House/Senate districts.
But take a look at the comparative demographics and there seems to be an "electoral" advantage for the Ohio House/Senate legislative leadership and individual representative to tilt towards advantaging rural districts over urban districts.
The Report thinks that Howse is incorrect in the implications of her outburst last Wednesday when Stand Your Ground garnered a 66 to 32 House approval vote that "all but one GOP representatives voting for the bill" makes it suspicious that "race" might be a factor in the vote.
The general population knows that Republican legislators are very strong on support of "no-restrictions" gun legislation. Stand Your Ground seems to be consistent with the "no-restrictions" model.
Of course, here in Stark County, 50th Ohio House representative Christina Hagan appears to be one of the most if not the most aggressive area politicians supporting expanded gun rights.
ALSO PICTURED IS THE LONE REPUBLICAN TO VOTE "NO" ON HB 228
But note, the thought to be "more moderate" Kirk Schuring, along with Hagan and numerous other Republicans are co-sponsors of Stand Your Ground.
There is no doubt about it. As persons out of the political context, both Schuring and Oelslager seem to be high quality human beings. Moreover, each have engineered significant achievements that promote the well being of Stark County.
However, there should be much more given the fact that they have been in the OGA for a combined 60 years.
Just a for instance, ask any Stark County court, city, village, township and school districts about the terrific burden of unfunded state of Ohio mandates on the local government.
Somewhere along the line, one would think given their senior status one or both would have created a brouhaha with their fellow on a particular bill which burden local government with cost of stated ordered programs, no?
Maybe they can point to something, but over all the years that the SCPR has been covering Stark politics and government has one local official thanked either for stopping such a burden.
Additionally, if only they would not be so political that it appears it is Republican Party interests rather than representing and being accessible to "all the public" that predominates their political existence.
It appears being finance chair (Oelslager) or being temporary Speaker (Schuring) which is a perk of political party loyalty which likely the reason why both generally fall into line with the official state Republican OGA caucuses line at a given moment, whatever it is.
There is no doubt about it. As persons out of the political context, both Schuring and Oelslager seem to be high quality human beings. Moreover, each have engineered significant achievements that promote the well being of Stark County.
However, there should be much more given the fact that they have been in the OGA for a combined 60 years.
Just a for instance, ask any Stark County court, city, village, township and school districts about the terrific burden of unfunded state of Ohio mandates on the local government.
Somewhere along the line, one would think given their senior status one or both would have created a brouhaha with their fellow on a particular bill which burden local government with cost of stated ordered programs, no?
Maybe they can point to something, but over all the years that the SCPR has been covering Stark politics and government has one local official thanked either for stopping such a burden.
Additionally, if only they would not be so political that it appears it is Republican Party interests rather than representing and being accessible to "all the public" that predominates their political existence.
It appears being finance chair (Oelslager) or being temporary Speaker (Schuring) which is a perk of political party loyalty which likely the reason why both generally fall into line with the official state Republican OGA caucuses line at a given moment, whatever it is.
Schuring and Oelslager seemed have lured many Stark County politicians including many if not most of the "organized" Stark Democratic Party leadership into thinking they are thoughtful about their OGA votes than Hagan is.
For instance in 2015/2016 both got thousands of dollars in contributions from the online charter school entity Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) which recently was found to owe Ohio's taxpayers $80 million.
In the same year, ECOT and its ilk, took millions upon millions of dollars away from Stark County's 17 school district. Money, undoubtedly, that many of us local school district taxpayers have had to make up with additional levies.
And Kirk Schuring put out at least three campaign flyers claiming to being a supporter of public education.
He might be here and there. But when the OGA GOP leadership wants his vote; guess what, he always falls into line.
Because of the apparent Stark Dems apparent political live in with the two, Stark Dem leadership has for years put up "token" opposition to the duo re-election bids. This year's Democratic candidates Friedman (the 29th) and Wilburn (the 48th) were nothing more than political sacrificial lambs.
But are Oelslager and Schuring more thoughtful? Or, could be that Hagan is more honest, however extreme she is thought to be, than they are?
Only The Stark County Political Report provides Stark Countians with an incisive analysis of the work of the Stark County OGA delegation; good, bad or indifferent.
Only The Stark County Political Report provides Stark Countians with an incisive analysis of the work of the Stark County OGA delegation; good, bad or indifferent.
The Stand Your Ground measure now moves onto the Senate.
And beyond likely Senate passage of HB 228, the bill must get Governor Kasich's signature.
But, if Kasich refuses to sign a House/Senate passed bill, then, there is a very real probability that there will be an attempt to override a Kasich veto.
Whether its Canton City Council or the Ohio General Assembly "unanimous"(Canton); "supermajority" (OGA) is not a good thing for tax paying citizens who have diverse points of view on government action which go unaccounted for the likes of Canton City Council and the OGA.
Such is a perversion of the American/Ohio political system and over time will undermine the viability of our democratic/republican system of government.
And nothing to cheer about as Stark Countian Jane Timken (Ohio GOP chair) did at the Cleveland City Club (2017) in saying that "elections have consequences."
Because during the presidential election of 2016, Stark County commissioner Janet Creighton made of point of telling this blogger on attending a local-sited National Riffle Ass'n (NRA) supporting then candidate Donald Trump saying she had a membership in the NRA and considered herself an NRA supporter; the SCPR asked her on Friday what was her take on Stand Your Ground in view of the fact that by the language of HB 228 the burden of proof on the self-defense-esque nature Stand Your Ground switches from a felony-shooting charged defendant having to provide "beyond a reasonable doubt" legal justification for a shooting to prosecutors.
Commissioner Creighton has not responded as of the publication of this blog.
If she does, the SCPR will supplement this blog with her response.
Along with Hagan and Schuring, 49th Ohio House Democratic representative Thomas West took the Howse/Smith confrontation in.
On Joe Palmisano's show on this past Saturday morning (The Week that Was [WHBC 1480] West argued for the perspective of Stephanie Howse and derivatively, of course, from his own perspective as a African American man.
West also talked about how Kirk Schuring has been helpful to his "learning the ropes" in the OGA.
The SCPR's take on West is that he has to walk a tightrope of supporting the likes of Howse while not alienating the likes of "the helpful" Schuring.
The Report thinks West is capable of doing so.
But there may be a day when Schuring under the pressure of folks like Smith/Householder gives West the cold-shoulder.
Time will tell.
Commissioner Creighton has not responded as of the publication of this blog.
If she does, the SCPR will supplement this blog with her response.
Along with Hagan and Schuring, 49th Ohio House Democratic representative Thomas West took the Howse/Smith confrontation in.
West also talked about how Kirk Schuring has been helpful to his "learning the ropes" in the OGA.
The SCPR's take on West is that he has to walk a tightrope of supporting the likes of Howse while not alienating the likes of "the helpful" Schuring.
The Report thinks West is capable of doing so.
But there may be a day when Schuring under the pressure of folks like Smith/Householder gives West the cold-shoulder.
Time will tell.
Pure and simple, "gerrymandering" is one of the most destructive forces affecting "the peoples' ability to heard;" whether it comes from "organized/elected" Democrats or Republicans.
As we see in the Smith/Howse exchange, the lopsided disparity in the OGA empowered and encourage Speaker Smith to cut Howse off.
If either Hagan, Oelslager (35 years in the Legislature) or Schuring (25 years in the Legislature) cared about our fundamental value of Free Speech (the Ohio/US constitutions), one of them would have (never mind the extremely religious right wing Hagan) would come to the defense of Howse and in the case of Schuring (a temporary speaker earlier this year) he should have stood up and challenged Smith right on the spot.
However, must remember that Schuring when he was running for Congress in 2008 against Democrat John Boccieri told his Ashland, Ohio campaign event "not to go to Canton for they might get shot.
If Schuring disses Canton, what must he think and consequently allow to affect his legislating favorable to urban districts to have on his support or lack thereof, when, he undoubtedly has in mind the notorious Hough section of Howes' 11th District?
And he is not alone in seeming to buy-in to a seeming GOP controlled OGA hostility towards Ohio's urban centers which just happen to be predominately populated by African-Americans.
Obviously, sensing the antagonism of those who ought to know/act better, Representative Howse obviously felt compelled to put the supermajority Republicans in the headlines.
One has to do what one has to do in order to make a point, no?
And in America and Ohio one should be accorded one's Constitutional right of Free Speech, no?
Like most political supermajorities, in time they self-destruct.
Republicans should put posters in the offices to remind them of the state of Ohio GOP 2005 Coingate (Noe) political albatross.
Being continuing long terms members of the OGA, Oelslager and Schuring certainly will remember how the scandal shook the Ohio GOP to its very foundation.
It appears that Speaker Smith is heading the Republican caucuses in the self-destruct direction.
If Householder defeats Smith in January for the speakership, having been speaker before, will he be wise enough to authentically include Democrats in the processes of legislation or will he just be a different face playing a highly partisan power game at the expense of everyday Ohioans?
Remember: "pride goeth before a fall?"
And in America and Ohio one should be accorded one's Constitutional right of Free Speech, no?
Like most political supermajorities, in time they self-destruct.
Republicans should put posters in the offices to remind them of the state of Ohio GOP 2005 Coingate (Noe) political albatross.
Being continuing long terms members of the OGA, Oelslager and Schuring certainly will remember how the scandal shook the Ohio GOP to its very foundation.
It appears that Speaker Smith is heading the Republican caucuses in the self-destruct direction.
If Householder defeats Smith in January for the speakership, having been speaker before, will he be wise enough to authentically include Democrats in the processes of legislation or will he just be a different face playing a highly partisan power game at the expense of everyday Ohioans?
Remember: "pride goeth before a fall?"
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