Voters Revolt Against Corporatism in OhioBy: OhioGringo - FDL
Wednesday May 4, 2011 10:28 am
<snip>
Yesterday, in news eclipsed by the ongoing furor about the killing of Osama bin Laden, voters went to the polls in Ohio. On the ballot were primary elections for mayors and city councilmen, and a whole bevy of proposed tax levies, both new and renewed.
Governor Kasich and the Republican majority in the State legislature had just slashed state aid to local governments in a most draconian manner–by at least half–in the latest state budget.
Upon hearing that local governments, school districts, and library districts were proposing tax hikes to offset those vicious cuts(some of it coming from eliminating the estate tax on wealthy heirs), Governor Kasich went public and urged the voters to vote all of them down. After all, if the public employee unions and their benefits were destroyed, there would be plenty of money already, right? Crack down on those spoiled policemen, firemen, teachers and librarians, pay them minimum wage at best, and the invisible hand of the free market will provide all sorts of jobs! To do anything else would be to perpetuate an “anti-business” climate, right?
Wrong.
While the majority of school levy increases went down to defeat, at least in northeast Ohio, every single increase for police, fire, road building and libraries passed. The LOWEST level of victory for libraries was 66% in favor. All tax increases for maintaining police, fire, and road maintenance departments also passed by substantial margins. At least a third of the school levies passed as well.<snip>
More:
http://my.firedoglake.com/ohiogringo/2011/05/04/not-about-bin-laden-voters-revolt-against-corporatism-in-ohio/:bounce::woohoo::bounce:
:kick:
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
